Revolutionizing Sun Protection: Emerging Nanotechnologies Shaping the Future of Sunscreens

Sun protection has become a significant public health issue in recent decades due to the high incidence of skin diseases related to excessive exposure to ultraviolet (UV) rays. The use of nanosystems in sunscreens represents a promising innovation in the pharmaceutical and cosmetic fields. This paper aims to map and characterize studies on the use of nanotechnology in sunscreens. This account identifies, categorizes, and describes the effectiveness and safety of these interventions. Searches were conducted in MEDLINE (via PubMed), Embase, Lilacs (BVS), Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar. Fifty-four studies that described or evaluated the development of formulations associated with nanotechnology were included. The results suggest that nanotechnology can significantly enhance pharmaceutical sunscreen formulations by improving both the formulation performance and UV filter efficacy. However, further studies are needed, especially safety studies aimed at avoiding undesirable effects, such as systemic absorption. Therefore, the use of nanotechnology-based active delivery systems has become a widely adopted strategy for developing improved formulations.