Scientists in China say they have developed a cooling sunscreen that lowers skin temperature by up to 6 degrees Celsius.
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The sunscreen is ideal for outdoor workers because it is also waterproof and offers protection equivalent to a Factor 51 sunblock after 12 hours of continuous exposure to strong ultraviolet radiation.
The team from Tsinghua University in Beijing said it has “promising commercial potential in the sunscreen market” in a paper published in the peer-reviewed journal Nano Letters last month.
“We prepared a radiative cooling sunscreen that can not only significantly reduce the skin temperature but also protects the skin from being harmed by the UV radiation,” they wrote.
Corresponding author Zhang Rufan, an associate professor of chemical engineering at Tsinghua University, said humans must adapt as climate change leads to more extreme weather, but adjusting to heat is generally more challenging than dealing with cold.
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“We can wear thick clothing to stay warm in freezing temperatures. But in extreme heat higher than 50 degrees Celsius [122 Fahrenheit], outdoor workers like transport police, road workers and farmers have to cope with severe conditions that can lead to heat stress, exhaustion or death. They need effective cooling methods and skin protection,” Zhang said.