Sustainable





Project UV-PRISMA

In China, the majority of the young generation values having white and smooth skin, whereas suntanning is popular in most Western countries. Regardless, sunscreen is essential in both scenarios. The potential health problems caused by UV radiation and environmental damage caused by the current sunscreen products are two of the most pressing health and social issues that have been highlighted for a long time, not only in our community but around the world. We wish to build on discoveries made by past scientists and add our own innovations to come up with creative and sustainable solutions to these critical problems, and here comes our solution: UV-PRISMA.

Our project is designed to produce an environmental friendly sunscreen that could minimize skin damage and photoaging caused by UV radiation in two major ways: protection in the form of sunscreen using Mycosporine-Like Amino Acids (MAAs) such as Shinorine, Porphyra-334, etc., and DNA-repairing in skin cells using enzymes coated in liposomes.

Figure 1: UV absorption range of four MAAs (A). UV Wavelength Absorbance of our yeasts' products after fermentation (B).



Ultimately, we plan to work with relevant organizations and government departments to patent and approve our sunscreen ingredients so that our efficiently-produced MAAs and enzymes can be manufactured into safe, environmentally friendly, and affordable sunscreens to be used in Shenzhen and other areas of the world.

Meanwhile, we are adamant about promoting sustainability, which led us to turn to Sustainable Development Goals as it was essential to consider how our project could contribute to global sustainable development.

We concluded after researching the Sustainable Development Goals that although our project addresses multiple SDGs, Goal 3 – Good Health and Well-being and Goal 14 – Life Below Water are implemented the most in our project.






Feedback From Relevant Stakeholders

Our team interviewed sailboat athletes, a group of people who have a high demand for sunscreens and spend the majority of their time by the ocean. Through our conversations, they expressed their frustrations with the “pungent smells and short duration” of current sunscreens in the market and stated that the key factor they look into when selecting sunscreens is effectiveness in UVR protection. Sailboat athletes also claim that they use chemical sunscreen during training sessions, regardless of the weather, in amounts ranging from the size of a dime to three dimes. But over time, this has caused indelible harm to marine life, such as coral.

Interviewees asserted that before being introduced to biological sunscreen, they had no knowledge that conventional sunscreens could harm the environment. They expressed their willingness to use our environmentally friendly sunscreens over conventional ones after learning more about our Shinorine-based sunscreen, provided the price was reasonable (within the range of 300-400 RMB), and the sunscreen's effectiveness was ensured.

Please visit our HP page to learn more:

Figure 2: Screenshot of our online interview with the sailors

Figure 3: Sailors under huge UV exposure



Members of LINKS_China also visited Lantern, a company with 29 years of history in cosmetics products. From our discussion with the CEO of Lantern as well as its head of manufacturing, research, and marketing, we learned that customers care most about the effectiveness, safety, and texture of the product on the skin. They generally do not pay much attention to whether the ingredients are produced chemically or biologically(Lantern). In contrast, our analysis of the tendency and habits of luxury cosmetic brands consumers suggested that they would pay a premium for sustainable developments. (local cosmetic shopping centers)

Figure 4: LINKS members presenting the project to admins

Therefore, with all the results and suggestions we harvested from the real field, we carefully designed and improved our UV-PRISMA sunscreen to solve the harmful environmental problem mentioned above and guarantee a comfortable feeling on the skin for users.






Tackling SDGs

Figure 5: Sustainable Development Goal 3 - Good Health and Well-being”.

Our biosynthesized sunscreen will be able to complete sustainable development goal 3: good health and well-being. We more specifically aimed at subgoal 3.3.5 – “Number of people requiring interventions against neglected tropical diseases”, and subgoal 3.8 – “Achieve universal health coverage, including financial risk protection, …and access to safe, effective, quality and affordable essential medicines and vaccines for all”.

The harmful effects of over-exposure to ultraviolet radiation on the human body go far beyond aging and collagen degradation. It may also lead to DNA mutations and even skin cancer. For instance, based on statistics from World Cancer Research Fund, Australia has the highest Melanoma skin cancer rate due to its exposure to UVR in tropical areas.

Figure 6: Damages UVA and UVB have on skin


However, some components in physical sunscreens on the current market might interfere with and irritate human bodies, causing eczema and allergic reactions. According to Food and Drug Administration (FDA), questionable ingredients in chemical sunscreens include Oxybenzone, Homosalate, Octinoxate, and three other compounds, which potentially disrupt hormones and endocrine systems. Titanium Dioxide and Zinc Oxide from physical sunscreen also pose side effects such as rash, itching, swelling, trouble breathing, etc. Even worse, the usage of chemical sunscreens might increase the risk of getting cancer.

For biological sunscreen that uses MAAs as an ingredient, their production is low and high-cost due to the fact that the raw material extraction from natural organisms is complicated, low-yield, and inefficient and may contain algae toxins that need further processes to remove before being safely added to the sunscreens. What's more, algae growth demands a considerable amount of land and water, and algal blooms might produce a large amount of toxins that could harm fish and other marine life.

In contrast, yeast has a significantly greater MAAs yield, allowing mass industrial production and global sunscreen supplies. In order to increase the production of MAAs sunscreen and lower the cost for more and more people globally to have access to this completely harmless sunscreen, we designed a series of genetically edited yeasts to produce MAAs with high efficiency and yield to protect against UVR, thus tackling subgoal 3.8. In five years, we aim to achieve mass industrial production of MAAs further to maximize the production rate and minimize the cost of our sunscreens.

Figure 7: The titer of Shinorine and Porphra-334


Research has also shown secondary properties of MAAs, involving antioxidation, antiaging, wound healing, and anti-inflammatory. In case there are uncovered skin areas or some of the UVR breaks through the “barrier of sunscreen" and reaches the skin, causing DNA damage, aging, and inflammation, our solution is to use gene-edited E. coli bacteria to produce a series of enzymes – coated in liposomes – to repair damages.

Figure 8: Sustainable Development Goal 14 - Life Below Water”.

Our project also targets SDG #14, specifically subgoals 14.1 and 14.2, which suggest “prevent and significantly reduce marine pollution of all kinds” and “sustainably manage and protect marine and coastal ecosystems to avoid significant adverse impacts,” respectively.

Not only do physical and chemical sunscreen have negative effects on the human body, but they are also extremely harmful to the environment.

When going to beaches, the sunscreen people apply will likely be washed and slapped down into the ocean, and the chemicals inside containing heavy metal will cause coral bleaching with an accumulated high amount over time, interfering with coral reproduction and having a detrimental effect on other marine life. Many coastal cities and beaches around the world have even banned the use of sunscreen containing certain harmful ingredients.

On the other hand, our UV-PRISMA sunscreen is an utterly harmless sunscreen with MAAs that are water soluble, colorless, and naturally produced in many organisms.
In fact, it has been proved that the natural accumulation of these MAA compounds in larger organisms such as fish is attributed to being acquired from the food chain – through sea shells and shrimps consuming MAA-producing algae – or partnering with an MAA-producing microorganism. Thus, it will not cause any damage to life below water but rather benefits.






Future Prospects

We are now working on a business plan (visit the page for more information) to start up a company and developmental plans covering our economic activities, research activities, and product investment for the next 10 years, and actively connecting resources for possible cooperation while striving for technological breakthroughs. We hope to introduce our cheap, eco-friendly, and safe sunscreen to our local market, then eventually towards the globe. Our mission is to provide the most effective dermal protection under the sun while decreasing harm to both the human body and marine ecosystems, letting the sea bluer, and making our world better.

We are confident that, ultimately, our company and our product can contribute to a brighter future for the environment and our human race.






Citations

  1. THE 17 GOALS | Sustainable Development. (2022). https://sdgs.un.org/goals#implementation

  2. Skin cancer statistics | World Cancer Research Fund International. (2022). https://www.wcrf.org/cancer-trends/skin-cancer-statistics/

  3. Rahman, A. (2018). Studies in Natural Products Chemistry.

  4. Pandika, M. (2018). Looking to nature for new sunscreens. C&Amp;EN Global Enterprise, 96(32), 22-25. https://doi.org/10.1021/cen-09632-feature2

  5. Singh, A., Čížková, M., Bišová, K., & Vítová, M. (2021). Exploring Mycosporine-Like Amino Acids (MAAs) as Safe and Natural Protective Agents against UV-Induced Skin Damage. Antioxidants, 10(5), 683. https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox10050683

  6. Osborn, A., Almabruk, K., Holzwarth, G., Asamizu, S., LaDu, J., & Kean, K. et al. (2015). De novo synthesis of a sunscreen compound in vertebrates. Elife, 4. https://doi.org/10.7554/elife.05919

  7. Wada, N., Sakamoto, T., & Matsugo, S. (2015). Mycosporine-Like Amino Acids and Their Derivatives as Natural Antioxidants. Antioxidants, 4(3), 603-646. https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox4030603

  8. Causes and Ecosystem Impacts. Center of Disease Control and Prevention. (2022). https://www.cdc.gov/habs/environment.html.

  9. Titanium Dioxide-Zinc Oxide Topical: Uses, Side Effects, Interactions, Pictures, Warnings & Dosing - WebMD. Webmd.com. (2022). https://www.webmd.com/drugs/2/drug-169598/titanium-dioxide-zinc-oxide-topical/details#:~:text=A%20very%20serious%20allergic%20reaction,list%20of%20possible%20side%20effects.

  10. Team, D. (2022). FDA Names Potentially Bad Ingredients in Sunscreen: What .... Dr. Aliabadi, Best Los Angeles OBGYN, Surgeon. https://www.draliabadi.com/womens-health-blog/potentially-bad-ingredients-in-sunscreen/.

  11. Cross, David. “Sunscreen Pollution Proves Highly Toxic to Coral Reefs.” AZoCleantech.com, 24 Feb. 2020, www.azocleantech.com/news.aspx?newsID=27038.

  12. Giacomo Abrusci, SEVENSEAS Media Editor-in-Chief. “World Ocean Day – Save Our Marine Life – 95% of Sunscreen Is Damaging to Marine Life, Husband and Wife Team & Founders of People4Ocean Explain the Global Problem.” SEVENSEAS Media, 29 June 2021, sevenseasmedia.org/is-your-sunscreen-damaging-to-marine-life-2.