You apply SPF 50+ and PA++++ every single morning, yet signs of photoaging still creep in. Why? While sunscreen is your first line of defense, sun damage is a relentless process that goes deeper than just UV exposure. It’s a complex cycle of DNA damage, chronic inflammation, and the silent breakdown of collagen. These "hidden attacks" happen daily, even under the protection of your favorite screen. This is the reality of Sun Damage—and it’s time to look beyond the bottle.

When most people think of sun care, SPF or PA rating usually come to mind. But those are just the first line of defense. The real challenge lies in how UVA, UVB, and blue light collectively assault your skin’s architecture. By penetrating different layers, these rays trigger a cascade of DNA damage, collagen degradation, and inflammation. They do more than just burn—they dismantle your skin’s integrity from within.

Effective sun care must do more than filter UV; it must fortify the skin against this direct structural trauma. True daily protection isn’t just a shield, instead, it’s a support system that manages how your skin survives the stress of exposure. Because the most critical part of sun care isn’t just what happens on the surface; it’s about the damage you prevent from the root.

1. Defending DNA: Nutecyl^TM MB/ CC-MB & Et-VC^®

Once UV radiation reaches the skin, it launches a direct attack on the cell through penetrating the nucleus to destabilize the genetic blueprint, forming critical photolesions and causing strand breaks in the DNA chain. These damages compromise genetic integrity, disrupt normal cellular functions, and accelerate visible aging.

• Corum’s Nutecyl™ MB/ Nutecyl™ CC-MB and Et-VC^® offer powerful protective benefits to help safeguard skin cells from UV-induced DNA photodamage.
  • Nutecyl^TM MB / Nutecyl^TM CC-MB demonstrates strong DNA-protective activity by significantly reducing DNA photodamage in HaCaT cells. As measured by γH2AX expression, a key marker for DNA double-strand breaks, a 10 ppm concentration of Nutecyl^TM MB / Nutecyl^TM CC-MB inhibits DNA damage by up to 96%. Both pre-treatment and post-treatment assays confirm that it not only prevents DNA lesions before UV exposure but also reinforces cellular protection afterward.
  • UV exposure doesn't just attack DNA directly; it also fuels oxidative stress that ravages skin cells. Nutecyl^TM MB / Nutecyl^TM CC-MB effectively counteracts this threat, offering a 53% protection rate against H₂O₂-induced DNA damage at 40 ppm. By combining pre-treatment and co-treatment strategies, Nutecyl^TM MB / Nutecyl^TM CC-MB ensures your skin is protected both before and during oxidative challenges, maintaining cellular health from every angle.
  • Et-VC® also demonstrates notable DNA-protective activity, outperforming Ascorbyl Glucoside (AA-2G) in the comet assay. At 10,000 ppm, Et-VC® achieved a protection rate of 21.9%, compared to only 9.4% for AA-2G, highlighting its effectiveness as a stable, ROS-targeting vitamin C derivative. By integrating both preventive and active-defense strategies, Et-VC® provides a resilient shield that maintains cellular integrity even under intense oxidative pressure.
  • In addition, Et-VC® shows high efficacy in protecting against sunburn cells, further supporting its role in DNA photodamage protection. Et-VC® was proven to significantly reduce UVB-induced sunburn cells by 31% compared to the control group.

2. Reducing Sun-Induced Inflammation: Defensyl™ MB / CC-MB & Et-VC^®

Sun exposure also triggers a rapid inflammatory response in the skin. It is not only ignited by UV rays but is also significantly driven by blue light. Upon exposure, keratinocytes release pro-inflammatory cytokines such as IL-1α, IL-6, and IL-8, which intensify tissue stress, induce erythema, and delay barrier recovery. These molecular events further upregulate COX-2, increasing prostaglandin production and contributing to redness, discomfort, and long-term photoaging.

• At 0.001%, Corum’s Defensyl^TM MB / Defensyl^TM CC-MB provide targeted, post-exposure anti-inflammatory protection. Specifically engineered to prevent blue light-induced inflammatory responses, they significantly reduce key inflammatory mediators, including:
  • Reduce IL-6 by 40%
  • Reduce IL-8 by 14%
  • Reduce COX-2 by 28%
• At 0.5%, Corum’s Et-VC® demonstrates strong post-UVB anti-inflammatory activity by significantly reducing key pro-inflammatory cytokines, including:
  • Reduce IL-1α by 30%
  • Reduce IL-6 by 95%
  • Reduce IL-8 by 47%
• At 0.5%, Corum’s Et-VC® also demonstrates strong post-blue light anti-inflammatory activity by significantly reducing key pro-inflammatory cytokines, including:
  • Reduce IL-6 by 60%
  • Reduce IL-8 by 34%
  • Reduce COX-2 by 32%

3. Preserving Collagen Structure: Nutecyl™ MB / CC-MB & Defensyl™ MB / CC-MB & Et-VC^®

Beyond oxidative stress, UV radiation and blue lights directly triggers the degradation of the skin’s structural framework. Upon exposure, UV rays and blue lights directly active molecular pathways (such as AP-1) that upregulate matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs). These enzymes are specifically responsible for dismantling collagen and elastin fibers. This direct enzymatic assault leads to the fragmentation of the dermal matrix, accelerating wrinkle formation, loss of elasticity, and premature skin aging.

•  Corum’s Nutecyl^TM MB/ Nutecyl^TM CC-MB inhibit glycation to help reduce collagen breakdown:
  • Sun exposure accelerates glycation in the skin, leading to irreversible collagen degradation through the formation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs). Nutecyl^TM MB/ Nutecyl^TM CC-MB, at 10.8 mM, reduce relative AGE formation by 30.8%, demonstrating strong anti-glycation efficacy and its ability to help prevent collagen degradation.
• Corum’s Defensyl^TM MB/ Defensyl^TM CC-MB deliver a comprehensive defense system for collagen structure:
  • At 10 ppm, Defensyl^TM MB/ Defensyl^TM CC-MB inhibits blue light-induced MMP-1 expression by 38%, helping prevent collagen from enzymatic breakdown.
  • In human dermal fibroblasts, Defensyl^TM MB/ Defensyl^TM CC-MB promotes a 15% increase in collagen levels following blue light exposure, effectively preventing collagen degradation.
• Corum’s Et-VC^® also contributes to collagen protection under blue light exposure:
  • 0.5% Et-VC® restores collagen type I protein expression by 53% after exposure, supporting its role in maintaining collagen integrity under sun-induced stress conditions.

4. Preventing Pigmentation & Age Spots: Et-VC^®

Sun exposure stimulates melanogenesis by activating melanocyte signaling pathways and increasing tyrosinase activity. At the same time, sun-induced ROS intensify oxidative stress, leading to irregular melanin deposition and gradual formation of age spots, also known as solar lentigines, a hallmark of photoaged skin.

• Corum’s Et-VC^® delivers strong anti-pigmentation efficacy:
  • In a sun protection in vivo study, 3% Et-VC^® showed a synergistic protective effect when combined with sunscreen, helping reduce photodamaged skin darkness by 55.68% and redness by 36.38%, making it highly suitable for sunscreen and after-sun formulations.
  • In an age-spot clinical study, 4% Et-VC^® visibly reduced dark-spot area within 56 days, supporting its role as a high-performance brightening and sun defense active.

Sun Care Isn’t Just About Sunscreen — It’s About Sun Damage Protection

Traditional thinking links sun care only with SPF or PA rating. However, true sun protection goes beyond UV filtering alone. Sun Care ≠ Sunscreen; Sun Care = Comprehensive protection against photodamage.

Corum’s Nutecyl^TM MB / Nutecyl^TM CC-MB, Defensyl^TM MB / Defensyl^TM CC-MB, and Et-VC^® provide a comprehensive, multi-level defense system: shielding DNA, preventing collagen breakdown, reducing pigmentation, and calming inflammation. With this multi-level protection, your skin is ready to face UV radiation and blue lights.

Forgot to put on your sunscreen? Don’t worry, we’ve got your back. Corum only provide what your skin truly needs.