A natural waste product produced during the paper making process could be an effective new natural SPF for skin according to new research.
Plant products used to make paper produce a waste substance during the paper-making process is called lignin.
It's lignin that has been found to have highly effective sun protection properties for skin and could offer a natural alternative to chemical sun filters currently used in the majority of sun creams.
Research published this month in the on-line journal ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering, found that a specific type of lignin called Organosolv used at just 1% in an SPF cream doubled its SPF factor. Used at 10% it scored an SPF factor of over 90.
Organosolv is not only 100% natural but is also a waste product that would normally be thrown away and so is very cheap to source as a raw ingredient.
The problem with many natural sun filters that have been found over the the last few years is their lack of effectiveness and their cost.
Organosolv is not only highly effective as an SPF for skin but it also very cheap to source, making it one of the the first low cost but naturally effective SPF ingredients to be discovered.
