SBIR Phase I: New Plant Based Benign Actives for Sun screen and Cosmetics Applications

这个小型企业创新研究第一阶段项目将展示植物衍生活性物质用于防晒霜和其他化妆品应用的可行性。最近的研究引起了人们的关注，即防晒霜和化妆品中使用的化学物质可能与健康问题有关，它们的积累也可能对水生生物构成越来越大的威胁。这项研究的重点是六种植物提取物，它们吸收紫外线和清除自由基的能力是目前可用抗氧化剂的100倍。该可行性研究将包括：i)分离和鉴定产生有益特性的活性分子；Ii)研究分子的毒性和稳定性；iii)鉴定一种或多种用于所有天然防晒/化妆品的活性分子。这个项目的更广泛的商业影响，如果成功，将是所有天然的防晒霜/化妆品产品的可用性，没有合成类似物可能带来的负面副作用。有效的天然防晒霜/化妆品的商业利益已经得到化妆品和个人护理领域的领先公司的验证。此外，如果成功，该项目中自然提取物的科学知识的增加也可能在营养药品中得到应用，并可能有助于治疗和预防与自由基有关的疾病。工业应用也可能受益于这项工作的应用，如聚合物和颜料的紫外线稳定剂。

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project will demonstrate the feasibility of plant-derived actives for sunscreen and other cosmetic applications. Recent research has raised concerns that the chemicals used in sunscreens and cosmetic products may be related to health problems, and their accumulation may also be an increasing threat to aquatic life. This research is focused on six plant extracts that have been shown to absorb UV light and scavenge free radicals 100 times better than currently available antioxidants. This feasibility study will include: i) isolation and identification of the active molecule(s) responsible for the beneficial properties; ii) investigation of the toxicity and stability of the molecule(s); and iii) identification of one or more active molecule(s) for use in all natural sunscreen/cosmetic products. The broader/commercial impact of this project, if successful, will be the availability of all natural sunscreen/cosmetics products devoid of negative side effects that synthetic analogs may bring. Commercial interest in effective natural sunscreen/cosmetic products have been validated with leading companies in cosmetics and personal care. Moreover, if successful, the increased scientific knowledge of natural extracts from this project may also find applications in nutraceuticals, and may contribute to cures and prevention of free radicals linked diseases. Industrial applications may also benefit from this work in applications such as UV stabilizer for polymers and pigments.