UV filters in the Youlief sunscreens
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How are sunscreen filters chosen?
A sunscreen needs coverage across UVB (290 to 320 nm) and UVA (320 to 400 nm), and it needs that coverage to survive sun exposure. No single organic filter does both well while remaining photostable, so broad-spectrum products combine filters - some primarily UVB, some UVA, some acting as photostabilisers for the others. The three Youlief sunscreens use seven filters between them, all from the newer generation of photostable organics.
Which UV filters do the Youlief sunscreens use?
Ethylhexyl triazone (Uvinul T 150) - a highly efficient UVB filter with strong photostability and very low skin penetration due to high molecular weight. Present in all three products.
Diethylamino hydroxybenzoyl hexyl benzoate (Uvinul A Plus) - a UVA filter, photostable, covering the longer UVA I range. All three products.
Methylene bis-benzotriazolyl tetramethylbutylphenol (Tinosorb M) - unusual in working by absorption, scattering and reflection, and acting as a broad-spectrum filter and photostabiliser. Two products.
Diethylhexyl butamido triazone (Uvasorb HEB) - a UVB filter with high efficiency per unit weight. Two products.
Bis-ethylhexyloxyphenol methoxyphenyl triazine (Tinosorb S) - broad-spectrum, and a strong photostabiliser for other filters. Aqua Sun.
Terephthalylidene dicamphor sulfonic acid (Mexoryl SX) - a water-soluble UVA filter, notable for sitting in the aqueous phase where most filters are oil-soluble. Aqua Sun.
Polysilicone-15 (Parsol SLX) · a polymeric UVB filter; its high molecular weight means it stays on the surface and does not penetrate. Aqua Sun.
Why do approved UV filters differ by country?
Several of these filters are approved in the EU, Korea, Japan and Australia but not in the United States, where sunscreen actives are regulated as over-the-counter drugs and the approved list has changed little in decades. This is why sunscreen formulations differ so markedly by market, and why a product legal in one region cannot simply be sold in another. Any statement about filter approval must be jurisdiction-specific.
What should sunscreen ingredient claims avoid?
They should not rank filters against each other on safety, since the evidence rarely supports confident ordering. They should not imply that high molecular weight guarantees zero penetration. And they should not present SPF as the whole picture, since UVA protection is a separate measure with its own regional testing standards.
Key takeaways
- A sunscreen needs UVB (290 to 320 nm) and UVA (320 to 400 nm) coverage that survives sun exposure.
- No single organic filter covers both well while staying photostable, so broad-spectrum products combine filters.
- Some filters act mainly on UVB, some on UVA, and some stabilize other filters.
- Several modern filters are approved in the EU, Korea, Japan and Australia but not in the United States.
- SPF is not the whole picture: UVA protection is a separate measure with its own regional testing standards.
References
The studies below describe the ingredient itself. Finished-product results appear in each product's evidence dossier.
- Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 on cosmetic products - Annex VI, list of UV filters allowed in cosmetic products
- Commission Regulation (EU) 2022/1176 amending Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 as regards the use of certain UV filters in cosmetic products
- Proposed Administrative Order OTC000008, amending OTC Monograph M020 (Sunscreen Drug Products for Over-the-Counter Human Use)
- Proposed Administrative Order OTC000039 (bemotrizinol, up to 6%)
- Effect of Sunscreen Application Under Maximal Use Conditions on Plasma Concentration of Sunscreen Active Ingredients: A Randomized Clinical Trial
- Effect of Sunscreen Application on Plasma Concentration of Sunscreen Active Ingredients: A Randomized Clinical Trial
- Determining the photostability of avobenzone in sunscreen formulation models using ultrafast spectroscopy
- Toxicopathological Effects of the Sunscreen UV Filter, Oxybenzone (Benzophenone-3), on Coral Planulae and Cultured Primary Cells and Its Environmental Contamination in Hawaii and the U.S. Virgin Islands
Frequently asked questions
What are UV filters?
UV filters are the sunscreen ingredients that provide protection across UVB (290 to 320 nm) and UVA (320 to 400 nm). Some act primarily on UVB, some on UVA, and some also act as photostabilizers for other filters.
Why do sunscreens combine several UV filters?
No single organic filter covers both UVB and UVA well while remaining photostable. Broad-spectrum products therefore combine filters, pairing UVB and UVA filters with photostabilizers.
Why are some sunscreen filters not available in the US?
In the United States, sunscreen actives are regulated as over-the-counter drugs, and the approved list has changed little in decades. Several filters approved in the EU, Korea, Japan and Australia are not approved there, which is why formulations differ by market.
Does a high molecular weight mean a filter never penetrates skin?
Ethylhexyl triazone, for example, has very low skin penetration because of its high molecular weight, and polysilicone-15 stays on the surface. Even so, high molecular weight does not guarantee zero penetration.
Products
No direct product mapping. Nothing in the Vegalab range declares UV filters in the Youlief sunscreens in its composition, so this page has no product link - the absence is deliberate, not an omission.