Review: Cyanobacterial metabolites as a source of sunscreens and moisturizers

The cosmetic industry uses a lot of different chemicals to produce the seven or so skin care products used by the average American every day. Efforts are underway to develop renewable sources for some of these. Derikvand et al. review the chemistry and potential applications behind compounds used by cyanobacteria both as UV-absorbing sunscreens and water-retaining humectants, which include extracellular polysaccharides. Eur. J. Phycol.   10.1080/09670262.2016.1214882