‘A big leap in sun care': L’Oréal unveils filtration tech for ultra-long UVA rays

After ten years of research, the filtration technology UVMune 400 had now been integrated into some of L’Oréal’s La Roche-Posay Anthelios sun care formulations, making it the first brand to benefit from this “powerful technology”. ​L’Oréal said the derma brand offered one of the most complete sun care portfolios and had “always led the field”​ with products co-developed alongside dermatologists.

Anthelios UVMune 400 launched in pharmacies in March 2022 and was available in two product formats: an invisible fluid SPF50+ and Hydrating Cream SPF50+.

L’Oréal’s ‘biggest sun care innovation’ in 30 years​

L’Oréal said UVMune 400 marked its “biggest sun care innovation in 30 years” ​and would see the company take “a big leap in sun protection”.​

The filtration technology had been developed using a new generation of filters powered by Mexoryl 400 – a patented organic sun filter based on L’Oréal’s earlier patented Mexoryl SX and Mexoryl XL sun filters. UVMune 400 had been shown to effectively protect the skin against ultra-long UVA rays, the 30% of solar rays that had so far been insufficiently filtered, across all skin types and phototypes.

“With UVMune 400, the solar filtration range is increased by 20 nm and L’Oréal offers products that filter the broad UV spectrum: it is a major scientific advance for lifelong protection from ultraviolet radiation,”​ it said.

Importantly, L’Oréal said protecting against these ultra-long UVA rays helped prevent “sun-induced deep skin damages”​ which remained a “major public health issue”.​

“These long UVA rays penetrate the epidermis the most and are among the main causes of skin ageing. They also contribute to the development of skin cancer, along with other UVA and UVB rays. No sun filter was able to block efficiently ultra-long UVA rays from 380 nm which alone accounts for 30% of UV,” ​L’Oréal said.

After years of research and scientific studies, the filtration technology had also been designed to offer an “improved environmental profile”,​ the company said.

Tackling a ‘real scientific challenge’ in sun care​

Barbara Lavernos, deputy CEO in charge of research, innovation and technology at L’Oréal, said the filtration technology was “fully in line”​ with the company’s wider goal of addressing public health issues, such as risks linked to UV radiation.

“Our L’Oréal R&I teams have successfully risen to the real scientific challenge of inventing a sun filtering technology to cover the UVA zone that was so far less covered. This allows us to provide our broadest filtration and protect the skin from the damaging effects of the sun, even the most insidious,”​ Lavernos said.

Laetitia Toupet, global brand president of La Roche-Posay, agreed, adding: “Sun protection is a key public health issue. As a leading brand in sun care, we do our utmost to share derm knowledge and provide best-in-class protection in partnership with dermatologists. We are proud to raise the bar with Anthelios UVMune 400 to protect all types of skin.”​