Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Wood Powder as a New Natural Sunscreen Ingredient

  • Research Paper
  • Published:
Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

With increasing interest in ultraviolet (UV) protection, many efforts have been made to replace synthetic UV filters in sunscreens with natural materials. Wood is a highly scattering natural material mainly due to its cellular structure and can also absorb light through its components such as lignin. In this work, we first apply wood powder obtained from fine grinding of wood as an UV-shielding additive in sunscreens. The powders originating from softwood, hardwood, and waste wood were characterized using photography, color analysis, size analysis, and FTIR spectroscopy. Effects of its addition to a commercial sunscreen on UV-blocking performance were also examined. The wood powders were light in color unlike technical lignin, and when they were added to the sunscreen, they could enhance the sun protection factor (SPF) value significantly. In particular, the softwood powder increased the SPF value more than threefold at a concentration of 5 wt%.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Park, J. H., J. E. Lee, S. S. Choi, and T. H. Park (2017) Protective effects of silkworm hemolymph extract and its fractions on UV-induced photoaging. Biotechnol. Bioprocess Eng. 22: 37–44.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Hirst, N. G., L. G. Gordon, P. A. Scuffham, and A. C. Green (2012) Lifetime cost-effectiveness of skin cancer prevention through promotion of daily sunscreen use. Value Health 15: 261–268.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Manaia, E. B., R. C. K. Kaminski, M. A. Corrêa, and L. A. Chiavacci (2013) Inorganic UV filters. Braz. J. Pharm. Sci. 49: 201–209.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Morabito, K., N. Shapley, K. Steeley, and A. Tripathi (2011) Review of sunscreen and the emergence of non-conventional absorbers and their applications in ultraviolet protection. Int. J. Cosmet. Sci. 33: 385–390.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Butt, S. and T. Christensen (2000) Toxicity and phototoxicity of chemical sun filters. Radiat. Prot. Dosimetry 91: 283–286.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Alamer, M. and P. D. Darbre (2018) Effects of exposure to six chemical ultraviolet filters commonly used in personal care products on motility of MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 human breast cancer cells in vitro. J. Appl. Toxicol. 38: 148–159.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Kitamura, R., T. Inagaki, and S. Tsuchikawa (2016) Determination of true optical absorption and scattering coefficient of wooden cell wall substance by time-of-flight near infrared spectroscopy. Opt. Express 24: 3999–4009.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Lesar, B., M. Pavlič, M. Petrič, A. S. Škapin, and M. Humar (2011) Wax treatment of wood slows photodegradation. Polym. Degrad. Stab. 96: 1271–1278.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Ragauskas, A. J., G. T. Beckham, M. J. Biddy, R. Chandra, F. Chen, M. F. Davis, B. H. Davison, R. A. Dixon, P. Gilna, and M. Keller (2014) Lignin valorization: improving lignin processing in the biorefinery. Science 344: 1246843.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Kai, D., M. J. Tan, P. L. Chee, Y. K. Chua, Y. L. Yap, and X. J. Loh (2016) Towards lignin-based functional materials in a sustainable world. Green Chem. 18: 1175–1200.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Roopan, S. M. (2017) An overview of natural renewable biopolymer lignin towards nano and biotechnological applications. Int. J. Biol. Macromol. 103: 508–514.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Qian, Y., X. Qiu, and S. Zhu (2015) Lignin: a nature-inspired sun blocker for broad-spectrum sunscreens. Green Chem. 17: 320–324.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Qian, Y., X. Qiu, and S. Zhu (2016) Sunscreen performance of lignin from different technical resources and their general synergistic effect with synthetic sunscreens. ACS Sustain. Chem. Eng. 4: 4029–4035.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Yang, S., M. Choi, and H. Shin (2017) UV protection effect of lignin extracted by steam explosion technique from domestic bamboo stems. KSBB J. 32: 342–351.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Wang, J., Y. Deng, Y. Qian, X. Qiu, Y. Ren, and D. Yang (2016) Reduction of lignin color via one-step UV irradiation. Green Chem. 18: 695–699.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Zhang, H., Y. Bai, B. Yu, X. Liu, and F. Chen (2017) A practicable process for lignin color reduction: fractionation of lignin using methanol/water as a solvent. Green Chem. 19: 5152–5162.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Yao, C., F. Yongming, G. Jianmin, and L. Houkun (2012) Coloring characteristics of in situ lignin during heat treatment. Wood Sci. Technol. 46: 33–40.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Kim, J. Y., H. Hwang, S. Oh, Y. S. Kim, U. J. Kim, and J. W. Choi (2014) Investigation of structural modification and thermal characteristics of lignin after heat treatment. Int. J. Biol. Macromol. 66: 57–65.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  19. Lee, S. C., T. M. T. Tran, J. W. Choi, and K. Won (2019) Lignin for white natural sunscreens. Int. J. Biol. Macromol. 122: 549–554.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  20. Karinkanta, P., A. Ämmälä, M. Illikainen, and J. Niinimäki (2018) Fine grinding of wood-overview from wood breakage to applications. Biomass Bioenergy 113: 31–44.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Dimitrovska Cvetkovska, A., S. Manfredini, P. Ziosi, S. Molesini, V. Dissette, I. Magri, C. Scapoli, A. Carrieri, E. Durini, and S. Vertuani (2017) Factors affecting SPF in vitro measurement and correlation with in vivo results. Int. J. Cosmet. Sci. 39: 310–319.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. Diffey, B. and J. Robson (1989) A new substrate to measure sunscreen protection factors throughout the ultraviolet spectrum. J. Soc. Cosmet. Chem. 40: 127–133.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. W. Schutyser, T. Renders, S. Van den Bosch, S.-F. Koelewijn, G. T. Beckham, and B. F. Sels (2018) Chemicals from lignin: an interplay of lignocellulose fractionation, depolymerisation, and upgrading. Chem. Soc. Rev. 47: 852–908.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  24. Yun, I. S., W. J. Lee, D. K. Rah, Y. O. Kim, and B. Y. Park (2010) Skin color analysis using a spectrophotometer in Asians. Skin Res. Technol. 16: 311–315.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  25. Virtanen, H., K. Vehmas, T. Erho, and M. Smolander (2014) Flexographic printing of Trametes versicolor laccase for indicator applications. Packag. Technol. Sci. 27: 819–830.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  26. Napper, I. E., A. Bakir, S. J. Rowland, and R. C. Thompson (2015) Characterisation, quantity and sorptive properties of microplastics extracted from cosmetics. Mar. Pollut. Bull. 99: 178–185.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  27. Lee, H. R., R. J. Kazlauskas, and T. H. Park (2017) Mild pretreatment of yellow poplar biomass using sequential dilute acid and enzymatically-generated peracetic acid to enhance cellulase accessibility. Biotechnol. Bioprocess Eng. 22: 405–412.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  28. Poletto, M., A. J. Zattera, and R. M. Santana (2012) Structural differences between wood species: evidence from chemical composition, FTIR spectroscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 126: e337–E344.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  29. You, T. and F. Xu (2016) Applications of molecular spectroscopic methods to the elucidation of lignin structure. pp. 235–260. In: M.T. Stauffer (eds.). Applications of Molecular Spectroscopy to Current Research in the Chemical and Biological Sciences. InTech, Rijeka, UK.

    Google Scholar 

  30. Faix, O (1992) Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. pp. 83–109. In: S. Y. Lin and C. W. Dence (eds.). Methods in Lignin Chemistry. Springer-Verlag Berlin, Heidelberg, Germany.

    Google Scholar 

  31. Hoareau, W., W. G. Trindade, B. Siegmund, A. Castellan, and E. Frollini (2004) Sugar cane bagasse and curaua lignins oxidized by chlorine dioxide and reacted with furfuryl alcohol: characterization and stability. Polym. Degrad. Stab. 86: 567–576.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  32. Sun, Y. and J. Cheng (2002) Hydrolysis of lignocellulosic materials for ethanol production: a review. Bioresour. Technol. 83: 1–11.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, Dongguk University-Seoul, Seoul, 04620, Korea

    Sang Cheon Lee & Keehoon Won

  2. Department of Biological Engineering, Konkuk University, Seoul, 05029, Korea

    Sang Hyun Lee

Authors
  1. Sang Cheon Lee
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Sang Hyun Lee
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Keehoon Won
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Keehoon Won.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Lee, S.C., Lee, S.H. & Won, K. Wood Powder as a New Natural Sunscreen Ingredient. Biotechnol Bioproc E 24, 258–263 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12257-018-0397-z

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12257-018-0397-z

Keywords

Search

Navigation