Abstract
Sunscreen use has increased due to climate change and greater widespread awareness of the risk of acquiring skin diseases, including cancer, due to ultraviolet radiation from the sun (Hiatt & Beyeler, 2020; Alli et al., 2023). This has had a negative impact on water due to the increased release of components from these cosmetic products (Couselo-Rodríguez et al., 2022). In this sense, product formulation should consider aspects of environmental and social sustainability. Microalgae capture CO2 from the atmosphere, remove contaminants from wastewater, including traces of emerging pollutants (Ávila-Cújar et al., 2021), and give an alternative for environmentally friendly sunscreens. The initiative becomes a first step towards the possible development of a business based on sunscreen production. Microalgal biomass production was carried out under laboratory conditions. Subsequently, the biomass was separated from the culture medium, and the components responsible for the protective function, such as beta-carotenes and mycosporines, were quantified by spectrophotometry. Next, the sunscreen formulation was developed, and finally, the sun protection factor (SPF) was determined, in addition to verifying some organoleptic properties related to its application. The product obtained achieved an SPF of 8 with in vitro tests, and the use of environmentally friendly components in its formulation makes it an attractive alternative from an environmental and social perspective.
