by Nahlah Abdur-Rahman
February 24, 2026
AJ Addae modified the form of zinc oxide particles to keep away from the white solid.
A Black beauty chemist has developed a brand new product, eliminating an enormous subject for sunscreen wearers with darkish pores and skin.
Whereas mineral sunscreens are a preferred choice for these wanting fast safety from the solar with safer elements, one big demographic has usually shied away from the product. A signature ingredient of most mineral sunscreens, zinc oxide, usually produces an unflattering white solid on these with darkish pores and skin tones, prompting many to only keep on with the chemical variations.
Nonetheless, AJ Addae, who research chemical biology at UCLA, has created a brand new answer to the long-standing drawback. Having darkish pores and skin herself, this ardour stems from a private mission to make mineral sunscreen extra inclusive.
“The perfect sunscreen is one that you simply’ll put on, and that’s actually all the place my motivation is for this,” she mentioned to ABC7.
To develop the formulation, she joined forces with fellow UCLA scientist, Dr. Paul S. Weiss on the Jonsson Complete Most cancers Heart, to interrupt down why some sunscreens go away such a ghostly mark.
“We took aside typical sunscreens that use zinc oxide and realized that the white solid comes from agglomeration of those spherical, considerably irregular particles of zinc oxide,” defined Weiss.
To fight this drawback, Addae and Weiss determined to make the zinc oxide particles tackle a unique form. The scientists determined to kind the zinc oxide into tetrapods, permitting the particles to face aside whereas offering an excellent layer on the pores and skin. This new formulation additionally eradicated the clumping-induced white solid.
“It kinds these networks, very nice, sustained networks of zinc oxide that disperse very well and easily and evenly on the pores and skin,” mentioned the Black chemist.
Not solely did the reinvention work, nevertheless it nonetheless supplied comparable ranges of UV-protection present in already established sunscreen merchandise. Plus, this improvement didn’t want a solvent, used to dissolve the UV filters, making it higher for the setting as effectively.
For her overarching achievement in modern entrepreneurship, Addae additionally received $100k from Pharrell Williams’ Black Ambition Prize for Sula Labs, as detailed by UCLA. The corporate, based by Addae, exams beauty merchandise for manufacturers at main retailers like Sephora and Ulta.
As a groundbreaking beauty chemist and entrepreneur, Addae has devoted her work and platform to boosting range in magnificence and skincare. She hopes for the cash to additional her mission, that make private care match for everybody.
“Whereas the prize cash is unimaginable, the win is an emblem that our laborious work to shut inclusivity gaps in cosmetics and private care via science has a big influence and scale,” Addae mentioned upon profitable the Prize in November.
Now, together with her no-white solid sunscreen to hit the markets quickly, she has supplied one other avenue for Black individuals of all pores and skin tones to really feel included within the newest merchandise.
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