| abstract |
Sunscreen compositions including a dibenzoylmethane derivative, such as avobenzone, that are made more stable by the addition of (a) an .alpha.-cyano-.beta.,.beta.-diphenylacrylate compound, e.g., octocrylene and (b) a diester or polyester of naphthalene dicarboxylic acid (diethylhexyl 2,6-naphthalate), having a weight ratio of (a)/(b) of at least 0.95, preferably at least about 1Ø More particularly, the invention relates to sunscreen compositions which utilize a combination of octocrylene and diethylhexyl 2,6-naphthalate to stabilize other photoactive compounds present in a sunscreen composition and, in particular, to stabilize dibenzoylmethane derivatives, without, or with levels less than 0.5% by weight of, a methoxy-substituted benzophenone derivative, such as benzophenone-3. |