Commercial available sunscreen lotions can very effectively protect from dangerous radiation in the ultraviolet , but they need to be applied regularly and in high amounts to develop their full potential . One of the most critical issues is the limited stability of the UV filter molecules .
The natural sunscreen molecules are called microsporine-like amino acids ( MAAs ) and are widespread in the microbial world , most prominently in marine algae and cyanobacteria . MAAs are small molecules derived from amino acids , thermally stable , and they absorb light in the ultraviolet region , protecting the microbial DNA from radiation damage . Thus they are natural sunscreens .
The synthesized compounds are characterized by excellent filter capacities in the relevant UV range . In addition they are photostable , much more than , for example , oxybenzene which is a widely used sunscreen in commercial formulations . They do not react chemically and dissipate radiation as heat ( but not to such an extent that the skin temperature would rise as well ). And , most importantly , when tested in real formulations , the sun protection factor ( SPF ) rose by a factor of more than two . Thus they could be promising targets for more stable , more efficient sunscreen lotions .