Coty/Lancaster Enriches Sunscreens With Anti-Infrared Technology
This article was originally published in The Rose Sheet
Executive Summary
Reformulated sunscreens from Coty’s Lancaster division promise protection from infrared light, which can penetrate more deeply into skin than ultraviolent rays, contributing to photoaging and DNA damage, the brand claims. The “enriched” sunscreens are available in markets outside of the U.S.
Coty division Lancaster introduces its “most complete sun protection” to date in markets outside of North America, reformulating its products with new Infrared Technology.
Infrared light represents “more than 50% of the sun’s spectrum that we receive here on earth,” according to Lancaster, and such rays “penetrate more deeply into the layers of the skin than ultraviolet rays and contribute to photoaging and the development of lesions on DNA,” the brand says in its April 17 release.
Lancaster’s anti-infrared technology is based on more than 300 clinical trials and consumer tests and is being promoted with the company’s “Dare to Tan” campaign as an “avant-garde step toward enjoying the sun without the least bit of guilt.”
The campaign includes an online documentary at Lancaster-Beauty.com that offers perspective from historians, sociologists, scientists and dermatologists regarding the phenomenon of tanning, the risks associated with exposure to different types of radiation, including infrared, and Lancaster’s latest solution.
The firm says its 17 updated formulas combat UV damage while also reflecting infrared rays through the use of “micro-mirrors” placed on skin’s surface and deploying antioxidants to neutralize free radicals generated by those rays that do manage to penetrate.
In a two-week clinical study involving 106 women, skin retained firmness (97%) and tanned without sun-related damage (98%) with use of Sun Beauty Velvet Cream SPF 30, the company says.
Other products in the Infrared Technology-enriched Sun Beauty range include Soothing Milk SPF 50, Satin Sheen Oil Fast Tan Optimizer SPF 30, Comfort Touch Cream Gentle Tan SPF 50 and Tan Deepener Jelly SPF 6.
In the social media realm, Lancaster is asking women to share their sun experiences and “best moments in the sun” through its blog and its partnership with aufeminin.com in France, Spain and Italy.
At the same time, the brand’s website includes “10 Golden Sun Rules” to remind consumers that “overexposure to the sun is a serious health threat” and that “even high SPF products do not provide 100% protection from UV radiation,” among other skin-healthy facts.
The Coty unit could not be reached to comment on its plans for the updated range or the anti-infrared technology in the U.S.