abstract |
The photostabilizing electronic excited state energy—particularly singlet state energy from retinoid compounds—has been found to be readily transferred to (accepted by) α-cyanodiphenylacrylate compounds having an alkoxy radical in the four (para) position (hereinafter “alkoxycrylenes”) on one of the phenyl rings having the formula (I): n n n n n n n n n n wherein one of R 1 and R 2 is a straight or branched chain C 1 -C 30 alkoxy radical, preferably C 1 -C 8 , more preferably methoxy, and the non-alkoxy radical R 1 or R 2 is hydrogen; and R 3 is a straight or branched chain C 1 -C 30 alkyl radical, preferably C 2 -C 20 . The alkoxycrylene compounds of formula (I) significantly increase the photostability of retinoid compounds in a composition by at least 3-fold. |