title: Ultrafast photoprotective properties of the sunscreening agent octocrylene.
abstract: Today octocrylene is one of the most common molecules included in commercially available sunscreens. It provides broadband photoprotection for the skin from incident UV-A and UV-B radiation of the solar spectrum. In order to understand how octocrylene fulfils its role as a sunscreening agent, femtosecond pump-probe transient electronic UV-visible absorption spectroscopy is utilised to investigate the ultrafastnonradiative relaxation mechanism of octocrylene in cyclohexane or methanol after UV-B photoexcitation. The data presented clearly shows that UV-B photoexcited octocrylene exhibits ultrafast-nonradiative relaxation mechanisms to repopulate its initial ground state within a few picoseconds, which, at the very least, photophysically justifies its wide spread inclusion in commercial sunscreens.
authors.forename: Lewis A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Baker
authors.forename: Michael D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Horbury
authors.forename: Vasilios G
authors.initials: VG
authors.lastname: Stavros
mesh_terms: D000179:Acrylates / Q000737:chemistry*; D003510:Cyclohexanes; D056951:Photoelectron Spectroscopy; D012867:Skin; D013472:Sunlight; D013473:Sunscreening Agents / Q000737:chemistry*; D014466:Ultraviolet Rays
chemical_list: D000179:Acrylates; D003510:Cyclohexanes; D013473:Sunscreening Agents; C506365:Cyclohexane; C088673:octocrylene