As the sun heats up, sun protection becomes an integral part of our skin care routine. Behind the dazzling array of sunscreen products, there is a key ingredient silently guarding our skin, it is Avobenzone, its CAS number 70356-09-1. Avobenzone plays an important role in the field of sun protection.

What is Avobenzone CAS 70356-09-1?

Avobenzone CAS 70356-09-1 has the formula C20H22O3, and its chemical structure shows that it consists of two benzene rings connected by a middle propylene glycol structure, one of which is connected by methoxy (-OCH_{3}), and the other is connected by tert-butyl (-C(CH_{3})_{3}). This unique structure gives Avobenzone its special chemical properties. It is a fat-soluble compound, which means it is more easily dissolved in oils and fats. Avobenzone has good solubility in common organic solvents such as ethanol, ether, propylene glycol, etc., but it is almost insoluble in water. This property plays a key role in the formulation design of sunscreen products, as most sunscreen products require the sunscreen ingredients to be evenly dispersed in an oily or water-based substrate, and the fat-solubility of Avobenzone allows it to be well integrated into the oily substrate for effective UV absorption and protection.

Avobenzone CAS 70356-09-1 at room temperature appears as white to light yellow crystalline powder, delicate appearance. Its melting point is between 81-84 °C, and the relatively low melting point makes it possible to change its state in some slightly higher temperatures, which requires attention to temperature control during storage and transportation to ensure its stability. Regarding the boiling point, the boiling point of Avobenzone is about 463.6°C, and the higher boiling point indicates that it has good thermal stability at normal temperature and pressure and is not easy to volatilization.

The sun protection principle of Avobenzone

The ultraviolet rays in the sun are the “invisible killers” of our skin health, mainly including UVA (wavelength 320-400nm) and UVB (wavelength 290-320nm). UVA is so penetrating that it can easily penetrate the Earth’s atmosphere, even through glass, to the dermis of our skin. Long-term exposure to UVA can seriously damage collagen and elastic fibers in the skin, leading to skin relaxation, increased wrinkles, and accelerated skin aging. Although the penetration of UVB is relatively weak, can only reach the epidermal layer of the skin, but its energy is high, the damage to the skin can not be underestimated.

The reason why Avobenzone can play an important role in the field of sun protection is that it has a unique sunscreen mechanism. Avobenzone CAS 70356-09-1 is a highly effective UVA absorber that protects against the full range of UVA (315-400 nm). When ultraviolet light hits the area of sunscreen containing Avobenzone, electrons in Avobenzone molecules absorb UVA energy and transition from the ground state to the excited state.

In this process, Avobenzone CAS 70356-09-1 molecules convert UV energy into other forms of energy, such as heat, and then release this energy, thereby avoiding the direct action of UVA energy on skin cells, effectively preventing UVA damage to the skin, reducing the risk of skin aging, tanning, and skin cancer. In particular, for UVA with a wavelength of 357nm, Avobenzone has the highest absorption rate, which makes it particularly good at protecting UVA.

Because of Avobenzone’s comprehensive and efficient UVA absorption, many sunscreens combine Avobenzone with other UVB-absorbing sunscreens in order to achieve broad spectrum protection (that is, protection against both UVA and UVB). In this way, sunscreen products can provide a comprehensive defense against different bands of ultraviolet rays, providing more comprehensive and effective protection for our skin.

Application areas of Avobenzone

Because of its properties, Avobenzone CAS 70356-09-1 is widely used in sunscreen products. In the formulation of sunscreen products, Avobenzone mainly plays the role of absorbing UVA and is an important ingredient in achieving broad spectrum sunscreen. It works in conjunction with other sunscreens, such as Ocriline. Oclirine is an oil-soluble chemical sunscreen that can absorb UVA and UVB in the mid-ultraviolet band of 250-360. Combined with Avobenzone, it can further strengthen UVB protection on the basis of UVA protection, thus providing more comprehensive UV protection for the skin. Another example is the combination of Avobenzone CAS 70356-09-1 and titanium dioxide, titanium dioxide is a physical sunscreen, by reflecting and scattering ultraviolet rays to play a sunscreen effect, combined with Avobenzone, not only the use of Avobenzone on UVA efficient absorption capacity, but also with the use of titanium dioxide physical sunscreen characteristics, not only enhance the sunscreen effect, It can also improve the texture and stability of the product to a certain extent.

In addition to sunscreen products, Avobenzone also has unique applications in other fields. In textile processing, it can enhance the durability of the color of dyed textiles. Prevent the yellowing of wool textiles, and prevent the fading of synthetic fabrics, so that our clothes always maintain a bright color.

In terms of hair products, Avobenzone is often used in hair gels, mousses and other products. Avobenzone absorbs UV rays and effectively prevents hair damage and graying caused by UV radiation, helping us to keep our hair healthy and bright.

Avobenzone CAS 70356-09-1 also improves the stability of shampoos, body washes and fragrances containing polyacrylics.

Safety of Avobenzone

Although Avobenzone plays an important role in the field of sun protection, it also has some potential risks. Some people may experience allergic skin reactions after using products containing Avobenzone. Avobenzone, as a chemical, is not toxic by itself and generally does not irritate the skin, but when it is used in combination with light stabilizers, there is a certain risk of skin irritation and low toxicity. The symptoms of skin allergy are usually redness, tingling, itching, and possibly pimples.

When choosing products containing Avobenzone, the first concern should be the quality and safety of the product. Try to choose well-known brands, good reputation of the products, these products are usually through strict quality testing and safety assessment, the use of ingredients and the ratio is more scientific and reasonable, can reduce the risk of use.

In daily life, it can also be combined with physical sunscreen, such as wearing hats, sunglasses, using umbrellas, etc., to reduce the reliance on chemical sunscreen products such as sunscreen, thereby reducing the risk that Avobenzone may bring. This is both effective sun protection and better protection of skin health.

Avobenzone faces the challenge of stability improvement. Because Avobenzone may degrade under light conditions, which affects the durability of its sunscreen effect, the development of more stable Avobenzone formulation or technology has become one of the current research hotspots. Unilong is exploring the encapsulation or modification of Avobenzone through microencapsulation technology, nanotechnology and other means to improve its stability and extend its effective action time in products. If you need, please contact us.