Urocanic acid as a novel scaffold for next-gen nature-inspired sunscreens: II. Time-resolved spectroscopy under solution conditions.

In recent years the use of synthetic UV filters in commercial skincare formulations has come under considerable scrutiny. Urocanic acid is a naturally occurring UV filter that could serve as a scaffold for developing next-generation biomimetic UV filters. We have carried out time-resolved electronic and vibrational absorption studies on urocanic acid and modified variants in various solvents on timescales spanning eighteen orders of magnitude; from femtoseconds to hours.