Overall
- Language
- English
- Conflict of Interest
- In relation to this article, we declare that there is no conflict of interest.
- Publication history
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Received August 30, 2025
Revised September 13, 2025
Accepted September 15, 2025
Available online January 25, 2026
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This is an Open-Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/bync/3.0) which permits
unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Most Cited
Enhanced UV Protection of Aqueous PBSA Solutions by Incorporating Hydrophilic Polymers
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11814-025-00565-3
Abstract
Phenylbenzimidazole sulfonic acid (PBSA) is a representative water-soluble UV filter, yet its practical use is hampered by
poor spreading and film formation in aqueous formulations, leading to limited UV-blocking efficiency. To address this, we
examined the effect of hydrophilic polymers—poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA), gelatin, polyethylene glycol (PEG), and dextran
(DEX)—on PBSA performance. UV–Vis spectroscopy and fluorescence imaging showed that PVA and gelatin facilitated
continuous film coverage and enhanced UV absorbance, whereas PEG and DEX produced discontinuous coatings with little
improvement. Rheological analyses revealed that PVA–PBSA maintained network stability via hydrogen bonding, while
gelatin–PBSA formed weaker gels and PEG/DEX–PBSA exhibited negligible effects. Interfacial adsorption measurements
further confirmed synergistic film formation only for PVA and gelatin. Overall, our findings demonstrate that effective UV
protection with water-soluble PBSA requires the combined presence of suitable bulk rheology and strong interfacial activity,
establishing oil-free, water-based polymer–PBSA formulations as a sustainable route for next-generation sunscreens.
