The Bee’s Knees of Sun Protection - The future of SPF is feeling very cool!
🐝 Pollen from the Carmellia Flower > the new Queen Bee of Sun Protection.
Under The UV — The Sunscreen List™ Blog
What if the future of sunscreen came from something as small (and as busy) as pollen?
In a discovery that’s creating a real buzz, scientists at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) Singapore have unveiled a pollen-based sunscreen that could do what no SPF has done before: protect your skin, keep you cool, and leave coral reefs unharmed.
Babes. The NTU pollen-based formulation is feather-light, invisible on skin, and designed to be coral-safe. It gives a cooling and natural feel, it’s made from the same golden dust that keeps bees — and plants — thriving. While not yet on pharmacy shelves, it’s already one of the most exciting breakthroughs in sun protection we’ve seen - probably ever.
Camellia Flower and worker bee collecting pollen on aother tropical flower. Photo on left, credit to Dmitriy Ganin.
Why Sunscreens Need a Rethink
Every year, between 6,000 and 14,000 tonnes of sunscreen wash into oceans, often around coral reefs. Ingredients like oxybenzone and octinoxate can trigger coral bleaching and even kill reef organisms within days.
For decades, sunscreen innovation has focused mainly on boosting SPF ratings or improving cosmetic feel. This breakthrough points to a new path: formulas designed with both humans and ecosystems in mind.
Image: Hawaii has banned sunscreen chemicals that are toxic to the reef and human health, but is it enough? Photos by Jess Loiterton - Waikiki.
From Pollen > Protection
Pollen naturally resists UV radiation — it’s how plants survive harsh sunlight. The Nanyang Technological University (NTU) team developed a microgel from Camellia pollen grains (also tested with sunflower pollen) using a gentle, water-based process.
The result is a transparent, skin-friendly layer that acts as a natural UV shield:
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UV protection: Comparable to SPF 30, blocking ~97% of UV rays.
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Skin cooling: Lowers skin temperature by up to 5 °C under simulated sunlight.
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Invisible finish: Almost invisible on skin, avoiding the chalky white cast of some mineral SPFs.
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Safe & mild: Camellia pollen is non-allergenic, and the process removes proteins linked to sensitivities.
Image: (From left) NTU PhD student Deng Jingyu, Research Fellow Dr Ferhan Abdul Rahim, Research Fellow Dr Shahrudin Ibrahim, and Prof Cho Nam Joon, School of Materials Science and Engineering, NTU Singapore. Prof Cho is holding the raw pollen and the pollen-based sunscreen in a bottle.
🪸 Coral-Safe Credentials
In controlled tests, corals exposed to conventional sunscreens bleached in just two days and died by day six.
Corals exposed to the pollen sunscreen? They remained healthy for up to 60 days.
That’s a massive leap forward — proof that reef safety can sit at the heart of sun protection innovation.
Marine biogeochemist Assoc. Prof. Patrick Martin highlighted the stakes:
“This pollen-based approach shows enormous promise as a sustainable solution for protecting both human skin and marine environments.”
🪸🦠 "As a divemasters from the Great Barrier Reef, we know corals even produce their own natural SPF (around ~4)—but there’s more to it! Some corals create UV-absorbing molecules called mycosporine-like amino acids (MAAs): ‘natural internal sunscreens’ that help protect both their DNA and their symbiotic algae from UV damage.”
Melanie - Founder of The Sunscreen List™
Healthy reef and coral. Photo by Francesco Ungaro:
Comfort + Sustainability
The research isn’t just about reefs. According to dermatology expert Assoc. Prof. Andrew Tan Nguan Soon, the cooling effect could help reduce heat stress while still providing robust UV defence — a rare combination.
Importantly, through a gentle, water-based process, the allergenic proteins are stripped away—leaving a formula that’s not only reef-friendly, but also skin-friendly, including for sensitive divers exposed to salt, sun, and fatigue.
Production is also sustainable: no harsh chemicals, no high heat. Just a water-based process that transforms abundant pollen into a skincare-friendly microgel.
Plus, it isn’t just protective—it cools, by up to 5 °C, helping reduce heat stress in skin exposed for extended periods in tropical sunlit waters.
As lead researcher Professor Cho Nam-Joon explained:
“Pollen already has natural UV resistance. By adapting it into a microgel, we’ve created a sunscreen that works with the environment, not against it.’
This captures exactly what we—The Sunscreen List™—see as the future of SPF!
Image: Reef-safe sunscreen innovation: pollen microgel breakthrough from NTU
The Sweet Future of SPF 🐝
⚠️ Important: this pollen sunscreen is still in the research phase. It’s not available to buy, and The Sunscreen List™ isn’t selling it (yet).
But breakthroughs like this show exactly why eco-conscious SPF innovation is the future. And while bees and scientists do their work, there are reef-safe sunscreens you can rely on today.
SunSafe® Eco and SunSafe® Active SPF collections we hand picked -So You Can Shop Now.
Until pollen SPF arrives, these are the eco-friendly, reef-safe sunscreens approved by The Sunscreen List™:
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SunButter SPF 50 — Reef-safe zinc sunscreen in recyclable tins.
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Little Urchin Natural SPF 30 — Designed for babies and kids.
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Wotnot Naturals SPF 30 — Baby-safe, biodegradable packaging.
The Takeaway
This pollen-based discovery is truly the bee’s knees of SPF innovation. It shows us what’s possible when science takes its cues from nature: sun protection that shields skin, cools the body, and keeps coral reefs alive.
We’ll keep following this story closely. But until pollen SPF lands, shop The Sunscreen List™ eco range — proven, trusted, and available now.
☀️✅ See the tick, trust The List™
🍯🐝 Insightful FAQs!
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Is pollen sunscreen safe for sensitive skin?
Yes, the allergenic proteins are removed in processing, making it gentle and non-allergenic.
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Why is pollen sunscreen better for reefs?
Unlike many chemical or even mineral SPFs, pollen-based sunscreen is a natural derivative of a photosynthesising organism—and crafted to protect rather than harm coral ecosystems.
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Do corals have their own form of sunscreen?
Yes—some corals produce UV-absorbing molecules called mycosporine-like amino acids (MAAs), which act as a natural, internal sunscreen, helping to shield their DNA and symbiotic algae (zooxanthellae) from sun damage.
Reference Worker Bees: (scientific articles)