• Question: what is in sun cream that protects our skin?

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      Asked by laurenwaring to Alex, Anaïs, Peter, Shreesha on 18 Mar 2015.
      • Photo: Shreesha Bhat

        Shreesha Bhat answered on 18 Mar 2015:

        Sun screens have chemicals which act as UV Filters. There are usually two types of filter, one is organic type (like cinnamates) which absorb the UV light and after convering it to harmless and lower energy rays releases back into the air.

        Other type is the reflective filter (usually minerals like titanium dioxide) which reflects the UV light without changing it. You can imagine a thousand of tiny mirrors reflecting away the UV light from the skin.

      • Photo: Peter Maskell

        Peter Maskell answered on 19 Mar 2015:

        see shreeshas answer.

      • Photo: Anaïs Pujol

        Anaïs Pujol answered on 19 Mar 2015:

        Several organic molecules used for their properties against UVB and ultra violet. The molecule called Octyl-methoxycinnamate is used as a solar filtrate against solar UV-B rayon but also 4-methylbenzyliden camphre also use for is properties against solar UV-B, BP-3 – Oxybenzone which is an ultraviolet filter

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