Sunscreens are no longer treated as seasonal commodities or purely protective products. They now sit at the intersection of skincare, wellness, and daily cosmetic performance. Consumer expectations have also completely changed what sunscreen truly does. They now want cleaner ingredient labels, textures that disappear instantly, and protection that extends beyond UV into infrared, visible light, and pollution.
This has accelerated interest in natural alternatives that can replace traditional silicones, petrolatum, or synthetic stabilizers while delivering equal or better performance. Multifunctionality is the new mandate. Sunscreens must protect, soothe, moisturize, and strengthen the barrier – all while maintaining high UVA/UVB reliability and an elegant finish.
For formulators, the challenge is complexity: how do you build high-performance suncare using ingredients that are both cleaner and more sophisticated, without compromising spreadability, stability, or SPF consistency?
Continue reading and discover the technologies setting the pace.
In the search for lighter, silicone-free textures, innollient™ LO by Innovacos has emerged as a compelling option. While many natural emollients struggle to match silicones’ glide, playtime, or volatility, innollient LO™ is designed to mimic the sensorial profile of traditional dimethicones – but with a more modern, biodegradable identity.
Its sensory profile is immediately noticeable: it glides effortlessly, leaves a soft, silky finish, and integrates beautifully into creams, milks, serums, and especially sunscreens. But where this ingredient becomes particularly interesting for formulators is its clinical activity.
Innovacos reports that innollient LO™ delivers measurable improvements to skin softness, elasticity, and overall feel within just one hour of application, thanks to its ability to enhance hydration and temporarily strengthen barrier function. This positions it as more than just a silicone alternative, where it becomes a functional skincare booster within the formula.
In sunscreen development, its role becomes even more strategic. innollient™ LO has strong powder-dispersing properties, helping UV filters and pigments distribute more uniformly. This supports more reliable SPF performance, reduces the risk of uneven film formation, and contributes to a more refined sensory signature. The end result is a sunscreen that feels elegant, spreads effortlessly, and delivers consistent protection.
For formulators wanting to replace silicones without sacrificing performance, innollient™ LO operates as both a sensory enhancer and a functional driver — a rarity in the natural emollient space.
UV is no longer the only threat consumers worry about. Infrared, visible light, and digital blue light are increasingly recognized for their roles in oxidative stress, inflammation, and acceleration of photo-aging. This awareness has created an opportunity for new botanical actives capable of offering broader defense mechanisms.
Plant C Stem™ Vigna Radiata is Innovacos’ entry into this space, derived from a vacuolar extract of Vigna radiata meristem cells. Because the extraction method preserves the full biological integrity of the plant, the active retains an exceptionally rich antioxidant profile – with notable implications for full-spectrum photoprotection.
Rather than functioning as a UV filter, Plant C Stem™ Vigna Radiata acts at the cellular level, reducing oxidative stress, supporting mitochondrial integrity, and promoting recovery from photodamage. It helps limit erythema formation, reduces UV-induced damage, and counteracts the downstream effects of infrared and visible-light exposure.
One of the most compelling data points is its potential to enhance SPF performance. By reducing UV-induced inflammation and erythema, Plant C Stem™ Vigna Radiata can contribute to a more effective protective system, particularly in hybrid sunscreen designs where botanical actives complement traditional filters. Its water-based, COSMOS-approved profile also makes it highly compatible with clean-label suncare strategies, where consumers expect plant-based ingredients backed by real science, not vague promises.
If you ask any formulator what makes sunscreen development uniquely challenging, stability will always rank near the top. High filter loads, mineral pigments, dispersions, water immiscibility, viscosity challenges, and consumer demands for lightweight textures all collide in the lab.
This is why PolyAquol™ VO4 is such a meaningful innovation. It is a polyglycerol-based emulsifier that allows formulators to build stable water-in-oil emulsions without co-emulsifiers. This means fewer co-ingredients mean cleaner labels, simplified systems, and easier preservation. Even more interestingly, VO4 supports high internal water phases, enabling light, elegant W/O textures that feel surprisingly fresh for an emulsion type often associated with richness. For sunscreens targeting everyday wear, this sensory improvement can make all the difference in user acceptance.
From a functionality standpoint, VO4 excels in its ability to support mineral filters and pigments. It stabilizes dispersions, helps prevent sedimentation, and contributes to uniform distribution, all critical for avoiding whitening, texture inconsistencies, or SPF fluctuation. The emulsifier’s ability to work in cold process methods also brings real operational advantages: reduced energy consumption, protection of fragile actives, and shorter processing times.
Every suncare chemist today is looking for a way to build lighter, cleaner, more multifunctional formulas without sacrificing stability or protection. What makes Innovacos’ trio of technologies so compelling is how well they work together:
Together, they create a modern formulation platform capable of delivering the high-performance experience consumers expect from next-generation sunscreens. But beyond performance, the combination reflects an even bigger shift: the move toward natural, high-tech systems that don’t compromise. Clean-label no longer means underpowered. Natural no longer means sensory limitations. And multifunctionality is required.
We’re witnessing a paradigm shift in how sunscreens are formulated and experienced. As the beauty industry steps decisively toward cleaner and more sophisticated systems, Innovacos provides a toolkit that aligns with, and accelerates, this evolution.
From sensory enhancement to full-spectrum defense to structural innovation, these ingredients offer a blueprint for creating sunscreens that feel like modern skincare while delivering the protection and performance consumers expect.
If you’re exploring new development pathways or enriching your sun portfolio, now is the time to act. These trends are already shaping next year’s launches.
👉 Explore Innovacos’ suncare technologies on Covalo, access full documentation, and get inspired by our Suncare Campaign. Your next SPF breakthrough might be one ingredient away!