Dr. Gernot Kunze

DSM Senior Lead Scientist Solar Protection

Dr. Gernot Kunze is a Biologist and European Registered Toxicologist (ERT), currently working as Senior Lead Scientist Solar Protection at DSM. His previous experience include work as Cell culture/Immunological biologist, as Laboratory Head skin permeation and skin metabolism oxidative dyes (P&G), as Head of Preclinical R&D (Galderma), and as Senior Non-Clinical Advisor (Nestle Skin Health)

Enabling the development of eco-friendly UV formulations

The ecological impact of cosmetic ingredients has become a focus topic for authorities,  product developers, product manufacturers, resellers and end consumers – especially when it comes to environmental fate. DSM PCA, acting as a Thought Leader and key enabler, developed and implemented a simple ecological evaluation tool for some of the most discussed cosmetic chemicals – UV filters for Sun protection  – integrated and simple to use with the existing DSM Sunscreen Optimizer tool.

The DSM Sunscreen Optimizer is a web-application created to facilitate sunscreen development. It predicts the influence of different UV filter combinations on sun protection efficacy and other important properties. With the latest update, the actual version is now including the environmental evaluation, based on a thorough PBT assessment rooted in official OECD studies.

Sunscreen development is labor intensive, time consuming and expensive. This combination drastically limits the number of ideas that can be evaluated at once. The DSM Sunscreen Optimizer enables an efficient, fast, and inexpensive preliminary assessment in silico for the selection of the most promising candidates for further laboratory development. By comparing the proposed UV filter combinations with existing market products of the same efficacy class (SPF), the tool generates in real time an Eco-classification and the ranking of the hypothetical formulation. Similarly to the European energy label, the color-coded alphabetical Eco-classes (from A-G) is easy to understand, and it supports formulators in the first stages of a new project, without need of further, slow and complex analyses. This setup enables cost reduction, allows the evaluation of more ideas at the same time and ultimately will lead to improved, eco-friendly products.