Kodak CAMP Distinguished Professor of Chemistry & Biomolecular Science Mario Wriedt recently secured an industrial grant from Estée Lauder to develop advanced sunscreen materials.
The goal of Wriedt’s work will be to develop a sunscreen that users need not reapply multiple times a day, but instead is effective all day long on a single application.
“Sunscreen, you apply it in the morning, and then you reapply it at some point,” Wriedt said. “This is because the UV filters in the sunscreen, they photodegrade. While they do their job absorbing UV light, they are degrading. We found a way to inhibit this photodegradation.”
Wriedt specializes in the rational design and synthesis of molecular assemblies, including advanced crystalline porous materials that form multi-dimensional networks suitable for a wide variety of applications.
“Using our porous materials, we can trap and stabilize the UV filters so they do not degenerate over time,” Wriedt said.
Along with funding for the research, the grant from Estée Lauder will also fund a post-doctoral research associate position, filled by Dr. Adrash N. Narayanan who recently joined the Wriedt Lab in September 2021.
With this advancement to a sunscreen product, Wriedt said, he is eager to introduce a new practical application from his research.
“We are excited to take our typically fundamental research to an applied level and doing something good for people,” he said.
Wriedt acknowledges his doctoral student John Hadynski who spearheaded an earlier crucial proof-of-concept study which has led the foundation for this project in addition to the Center for Advanced Materials Processing at Clarkson which played an important role in facilitating this industrial collaboration with Estée Lauder.
