Can a magic ring make sunscreen stay on top of skin?
The Effect of Beta-Cyclodextrin on Percutaneous Absorption of Commonly Used Eusolex® Sunscreens
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Lag time exceeded 150 minutes—over 2.5 hours—before any significant absorption occurred with cyclodextrin complexes.
Most sunscreens begin penetrating within minutes; slowing it to over 2.5 hours is dramatic and unexpected for topical agents designed to stay on the surface.
Practical Takeaways
Look for sunscreens that list ‘β-cyclodextrin’ or ‘cyclodextrin complex’ on the ingredient list—this may mean slower chemical absorption.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Lag time exceeded 150 minutes—over 2.5 hours—before any significant absorption occurred with cyclodextrin complexes.
Most sunscreens begin penetrating within minutes; slowing it to over 2.5 hours is dramatic and unexpected for topical agents designed to stay on the surface.
Practical Takeaways
Look for sunscreens that list ‘β-cyclodextrin’ or ‘cyclodextrin complex’ on the ingredient list—this may mean slower chemical absorption.
Publication
Journal
Drug Research
Year
2013
Authors
J. Shokri, D. Hasanzadeh, S. Ghanbarzadeh, M. Dizadji-Ilkhchi, K. Adibkia
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Claims (5)
Adding a special compound called β-cyclodextrin to sunscreen might help keep more of the chemical filters from soaking into your skin—but that doesn’t mean it makes the sunscreen safer for your body or less likely to cause allergies in people.
Scientists found that a special ring-shaped molecule called β-cyclodextrin can trap three common sunscreen chemicals inside it, and when it does, those chemicals behave differently when they touch simulated skin in a lab dish.
When you mix three common sunscreen chemicals with a special ring-shaped molecule called β-cyclodextrin, they don’t soak into the skin as much—up to 15 times less—so they might stay on top of your skin where they’re supposed to work, instead of getting absorbed inside your body.
When these common sunscreen chemicals are wrapped in a special sugar-like molecule called β-cyclodextrin, they take over 2.5 hours to start getting through the skin of rat skin in a lab test—meaning they’re slower to be absorbed, which might make them safer.
When sunscreen chemicals like avobenzone are trapped inside a special ring-shaped molecule called β-cyclodextrin, they don’t soak into the skin as much as when they’re just mixed in — and this works better in a creamy lotion base using rat skin in a lab test.