Alba Science responds to new sunscreen standards with new equipment

The UK-headquartered company has invested in Labsphere’s UV-2000S which it says makes it one of the first independent contract research companies to offer measurements complying with new Colipa method, the Boots Star Rating System and proposed US methods.

Changes to the standards affect primarily the UVA protection a product provides and manufacturers are now looking to have UVA protection at a third of the UVB protection (measured by the SPF value).

Moving on from sole UVB focus ​

Previously, UVB radiation (shorter wavelengths between 290 and 320nm) has been the focus of sun protection products as it leads to erythema, noticeable to the sufferer as uncomfortable sun burn.

However, more recently UVA’s ability to cause DNA damage perhaps contributing to skin ageing and cancer has come under the spotlight and manufacturers are looking to increase the UVA protection their products provide as well as measure and display this on the bottle for the consumer.

According to Lucy McCahon, a photobiologist with Alba Science the new equipment incorporates an irradiation step that is central to UVA testing, that the old UVB-focused methods did not require.

Meeting Colipa testing standards​

“The reason we have invested in the equipment is we can offer the irradiation step that allows us to test using the new Colipa method and the 2008 update to the Boots Star Rating system,”​ she told CosmeticsDesign-Europe.com.

A protection reading before it has been irradiated and one after irradiation allows a calculation of how much the sample has degraded during irradiation, and is central to the calculation of how much UVA protection is offered in comparison to UVB, she explained.

With the new equipment Alba can now offer clients a full service for sunscreen testing, McCahon said, adding that the company does not do in vivo ​tests.

Testing to proposed FDA method​

“If a manufacturer wants to do an in vivo test to estimate the SPF value we advise them to do this before they come to us, although this is not a requirement of the new testing methods,”​ she said.

The new equipment is also capable of testing to the proposed FDA method; but the company is awaiting confirmation of the method from the FDA before offering the service to its clients.

The confirmation of the FDA method is expected soon, confirmed McCahon.