About the Webinar

Australia experiences some of the highest UV levels in the world, with skin cancer incidence rates to match. Sunscreens are a critical line of defence, but how well do real formulations perform under the UV conditions consumers actually encounter, and what trade-offs exist between broad-spectrum protection, photostability, and the photocatalytic side-reactions of inorganic UV filters?
 
In this webinar, we examine the photocatalytic activity and performance of commercial and two experimental sunscreen formulations containing zinc oxide and titanium dioxide as inorganic UV filters. By combining UV–vis spectroscopy, dye-degradation photocatalysis assays, and outdoor measurements taken at North Wollongong beach under high, very high, and extreme UV Index conditions, we look at how SPF, critical wavelength, and filter efficiency translate into the accumulated UV dose actually transmitted to the skin.
 
Bringing photocatalysis assessment and outdoor UV testing together offers a more realistic picture of how sunscreens behave once they leave the cuvette and reach the skin. This session is for cosmetic chemists, formulators, and researchers interested in evidence-based sunscreen design and the dynamic performance of formulations under Australian-grade UV.

About the Speakers

Nuwangi Cooray is a PhD candidate in materials science at the University of Wollongong's Australian Institute for Innovative Materials. Originally from Sri Lanka, she moved to Australia in 2019, completed her Master of Physics at UOW in 2021 where she examined how UV Index can be used as a tool to evaluate sunscreen performance.

In her PhD, she develops high-performance inorganic nanoceramic UV filters and sunscreen formulations engineered for Australia's extreme UV conditions, where skin cancer rates are among the highest in the world. In collaboration with Nowchem Pharma and Skincare, she has investigated the dynamic behaviour of sunscreens under in-service conditions, focusing on the link between photocatalysis at the nanoparticle surface and formulation-level safety and performance.
 
Nuwangi has published in journals including the Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology B, presented at international cosmetic science conferences, and contributed to a provisional patent on next-generation UV filter materials. She is a recipient of the LIFT Women in STEM Scholarship through iAccelerate at UOW, and enjoys mentoring students and communicating science to broader audiences.