What is your skin on the beach? Scientists are working on a new sunscreen

A joint group of scientists from Tomsk State University, the Moscow Institute of General and Inorganic Chemistry (Moscow) and the Kiev Institute of Microbiology and Virology of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine have developed a new technology for protecting the skin from ultraviolet radiation based on cerium dioxide.

Typical existing sunscreens contain titanium and zinc dioxides. According to researchers, titanium dioxide particles can cause damage to the nerve cells of the brain, blood lymphocytes, lymphoblastoid cells and have a harmful effect on the skin. However, according to some studies , titanium dioxide contained in sunscreens does not penetrate the skin. There are rare cases of allergy to this substance. Zinc dioxide is dangerous to the skin and eyes only in large doses.

Researchers say that their version of cerium dioxide is not only safer than its counterparts, but also doubles in terms of UV protection. To do this, a colloidal cerium dioxide solution is added to the sunscreen.
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This compound has long been considered as a substitute for other substances in sunscreens, since it contributes less to photocatalysis — acceleration of chemical reactions that occur when exposed to sunlight.

Some researchers have expressed concern that the use of sunscreens containing dioxid nanoparticles may be associated with the development of Alzheimer's disease. True, this concern has not yet been confirmed by large-scale studies.

In the future, cerium dioxide nanoparticles can also be used as therapeutic drugs in the treatment of burns of different origin. Now the development is undergoing preclinical testing in one of the medical institutions in Moscow.