According to a new study, cited this week by The Indian Express (Uttar Pradesh, India), lignin, a natural material in plants and a major "waste product" of the pulp and paper industry, can be added to sunscreen creams to protect people from getting sunburn.

 

Most sunscreen products currently on the market contain synthetic compounds that help prevent ultraviolet rays from damaging skin. But consumers are searching for better product performance that comes from natural sources. This has led scientists to experiment with compounds from a variety of sources, such as lignin from wood.

According to the study, Shiping Zhu from Canada’s McMaster University and Qiu Xueqing of South China University of Technology found that out of five types of lignin tested, organosolv lignin improved the sun protection factor (SPF) of sunblock the most.

 

In addition, sunscreen containing just 1% of this compound doubled the lotion’s original SPF as it went from 15 to 30. A lotion with 10% organosolv lignin increased SPF even further, from 15 to almost 92, but excessive amounts of hydrophilic lignin such as lignosulfonate caused the product to start separating. 

 

The researchers also said that although more work is needed to be done, the results represent a promising first step toward the development of lignin-containing sunscreen.