Beachgoers around the world can now soak up the sun without worrying when they should put on more sunscreen.
You see, a team of students from the University of Waterloo in Canada, have invented a simple little marker that you apply to your skin and which changes color when sunscreen has lost its protective properties.
Suncayr, the company who has invented this new breakthrough product, was formed by nanotechnology students Rachel Pautler, Hayden Soboleski and Chad Sweeting.
Their invention is now one of the top 20 finalist inventions selected by the James Dyson Foundation Awards for 2014.
The Suncayr marker is GREEN when your sunscreen is protecting you from dangerous UV rays. The Suncayr marker is RED when you are no longer protected from UV. The colour change lets you know to re-apply your sunscreen.
“I think all of us in one way or another have had a bad sunburn or know someone affected by skin cancer,” says Sobeleski. “Painful and peeling sunburns greatly increase a person’s risk of developing skin cancer as well as making you look and feel miserable for far too long. "
The Suncayr marker has UV-reactive ink and you simply use it to draw on your body. The ink is first applied and then on goes the sunscreen. The color of the marker is bright when first applied and as the sunscreen fades the ink of the marker changes color.
Beachgoers can have fun drawing shapes and any design they wish before applying their sunscreen.
Even better, the marker will last you an entire day at the beach and is water-resistant and there are no tan lines after a day of soaking up the sun.
“We chose to create Suncayr to solve the problem of not knowing when to reapply sunscreen,” writes the team in its description on the James Dyson Foundation Awards website. “Painful and peeling sunburns greatly increase an individual’s risk of developing skin cancer, as well as making you look and feel miserable for far too long. Suncayr is seeking to create an innovative solution that consumers want to use."
“Our design is a colour changing marker that you can draw on your skin that will let you know when to re-apply sunscreen. Our competitors offer stickers and wristbands that are uncomfortable and easily fall off. Since Suncayr is applied directly to your skin, you receive personalized knowledge of your skin’s protection.”
