Five ways SPF boosters can power up sunscreen formulations

As demand grows for high‑performing, elegant sunscreens, formulators face increasing pressure to create smarter solutions that meet rising consumer expectations. Simply increasing UV filter levels is not always the most effective solution to achieving high SPF without compromising on sensory experience, stability or formulation flexibility. 

SPF boosters offer a strategic solution. By enhancing the efficiency of UV filters at lower inclusion levels, they enable the creation of sunscreens that deliver robust protection that aligns with consumer preferences. This gives formulators the freedom to innovate with textures, improve formulation versatility and differentiate product positioning, helping brands to stand out in a crowded sun care market.

Let's take a closer look at the five key benefits that make SPF boosters an invaluable asset in modern sunscreen formulation strategies.

1. Smarter UV filter design 

Supporting UV filter optimisation and reduced inclusion levels  

2. Efficiency meets elegance

Increasing SPF efficiency without compromising sensory experience   

Balancing high SPF with cosmetic elegance can often be a challenge for formulators, as increased levels of UV filters can create heavier textures, a draggy application experience and leave a greasy after-feel. SPF boosters can help to overcome this by improving the distribution of UV filters and enhancing formulation spreadability, allowing formulators to reduce UV filter levels to enhance sensory without compromising on protection.

The mode of action for some SPF boosters can inadvertently impact sensorial properties. For example, film-forming SPF boosters are essential for creating uniform, durable coverage across the skin surface to ensure reliable skin protection. Depending on their chemical structure, they can often impart a sticky or tacky skin feel.

Crodabond™ CSN offers a powerful solution to bridge the gap between efficacy and elegance through enhanced film formation benefits. This 100% natural emollient is proven to boost SPF and UVA protection through improved UV filter distribution and superior spreadability on the skin. Unlike conventional film-forming SPF boosters, Crodabond CSN supports reliable, uniform skin protection whilst maintaining a smooth and elegant skin feel, enabling high performance sunscreens without sacrificing wearability.

Although SPF boosters can impact the sensorial properties of a sunscreen, optimising your formulation chassis is a critical consideration to optimise the application properties of your sunscreen. Take a look at our blog, sunscreen formulation strategies to maximise skin protection, to learn more about how chassis ingredients can impact formulation structure to maximise performance for daily SPF products.

Benefit for formulators: Greater control over sunscreen texture, without sacrificing SPF targets.

Benefit for brands: Strong consumer relevant claims such as “high protection with a lightweight feel”, “seamlessly blends into skin” or “undetectable finish”

3. Performance you can trust

Improved reliability and consistency of SPF performance

Formulating high protection sunscreens can be challenging, not only in achieving the target SPF, but in ensuring that protection remains consistent. As a sunscreen’s efficacy depends heavily upon how evenly it spreads across the skin, variability in film formation can impact skin protection performance.

SPF boosters help improve the reliability of protection by enhancing spreadability and promoting a more uniform, continuous layer of protection across the skin. They also support even distribution of UV filters throughout the applied layer, reducing variability in both in vitro and in vivo SPF testing.

Benefit for formulators: Greater reproducibility and less variability in SPF testing results, instilling confidence in the performance of your sunscreen.

Benefit for brands: Greater confidence in labelled SPF claims.

4. Innovation without limits

Greater formulation flexibility to explore new formulation textures, formats and claims

As sunscreens continue to evolve from traditional beach products to daily wear formats, formulation demands become more complex. Consumers now expect experience-led, ultra-light textures, such as serums, fluids and gels, that still deliver high protection without greasiness or residue.

Achieving these textures at high SPF can be challenging, where increased UV filter loads can compromise spreadability and skin feel, limiting the ability to innovate across lightweight formats. By facilitating the reduction in UV filter levels whilst maintaining high protection, SPF boosters offer greater flexibility to explore new textures and delivery systems, particularly for low viscosity formats that might otherwise struggle to achieve uniform skin coverage.

Many modern SPF boosters also offer multi-functional benefits that extend beyond UV filter optimisation, supporting additional skin care benefits such as improved skin appearance and skin barrier support. This dual functionality allows the design of sunscreens that not only protect the skin but enhances overall appearance.

Supporting this shift towards advanced, benefit-driven sunscreen design, the ChromaPur™ range of micron-sized cellulose powders exemplify this multi-functional approach. Using patented technology, ChromaPur delivers exceptional optical and sensory benefits, creating a consumer perceivable soft-focus effect on the skin for an even yet natural looking complexion. In addition to this sensory enhancement, ChromaPur has been proven to improve the performance of UV filters to boost SPF, enabling formulators to maximise protection whilst targeting compelling skin benefit claims with a single ingredient solution.

Benefit for formulators: Expands the possibility of exploring consumer desirable formats without compromising on SPF targets

Benefit for brands: Innovation opportunities to target new claims, categories and customer touchpoints

For more inspiration, take a look at our top 5 sun care formulations, a curated list of formulation concepts that combine performance, pleasure and purpose.

5. Future-ready formulations

Designing sunscreens with regulation, cost and environmental considerations in mind

Sun care is one of the most tightly regulated beauty categories, with UV filter approvals, limits and regional requirements relating to safety and testing continuing to evolve. By improving UV filter efficiency, SPF boosters can help brands stay comfortably within regulatory limitations, reducing the need to formulate at maximum filter levels and offering more flexibility as regulations change.

Optimising or reducing UV filter levels can improve cost-effectiveness whilst also reducing reliance on filters facing environmental scrutiny. This approach helps brands to better align sunscreen formulations with growing consumer expectations around environmental responsibility and the perceived impact of sunscreens.

This shift is visible in market data, where the percentage of global sunscreen launches carrying environmentally-friendly claims doubled from 16% in 2020 to 34% in 2024 (1). Growth is fuelled by demand, where 34% of US consumers are making a greater effort to purchase sunscreens that are not harmful to the environment (1), whilst 64% of German sun protection users express concerns about ingredient safety for ocean-friendly formats (1). These behaviours reflect both heightened awareness and clear market response, as brands expand their portfolios with more sustainably aligned sunscreens.

Benefit for formulators: Enables creation of regulatory-compliant and adaptable sunscreens that are flexible and meet cost targets.

Benefits for brands: Portfolios designed to adapt to the evolving global regulatory landscape, whilst aligning with environmental expectations.

Conclusion 

The evolution of sun protection from a seasonal habit to a daily ritual demands a new formulation mindset. Success is no longer defined by SPF numbers on a label, as consumers expect sunscreens that fit effortlessly into their lifestyles, delivering proven protection with textures that they love to wear.

SPF boosters can unlock this potential, transforming formulation challenges into opportunities for differentiation. They empower formulators and brands to design smarter sunscreens that balance high performance with sensorial appeal. When innovation meets experience, sunscreens become more than just a product. They become a daily beauty essential that drives loyalty and encourages consistent use.

References

1. Mintel - Patent insights: advancements in sunscreen (2024)