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The clinically-backed, post-procedure sunscreen is designed to enhance skin healing, reduce redness, promote hydration, and provide broad-spectrum UV protection.
Patients recovering from laser treatments or struggling with rosacea often face a dual challenge: protecting compromised skin from UV damage while accelerating healing.
EltaMD Skincare, the #1 dermatologist recommended professional sunscreen brand,1 announced today the launch of its new UV Skin Recovery broad spectrum SPF 50 face sunscreens, including an untinted version and a red color correcting version with a green tint—aiming to address these challenges.
The sunscreens feature a transparent zinc oxide (12.9%) finish, 100% mineral filter, and 2% Amino Acid Complex (AAComplex)—EltaMD’s patented trio combination. The formulations have been post-procedure tested and were found to effectively repair the skin barrier while simultaneously reducing redness.
In a recent discussion with Dermatology Times, Joel Cohen, MD, FAAD, FACMS, and Lia Arvanitidou, PhD, shared insights into the science behind this innovative sunscreen and its clinical efficacy. Cohen is a board-certified dermatologist specializing in Mohs surgery and cosmetic dermatology and director of AboutSkin Dermatology and DermSurgery in Denver, Colorado, and Arvanitidou is a polymer physical chemist and leader at Colgate-Palmolive’s Global CP Skin Health division.
Arvanitidou, with over 3 decades of experience in the industry, played a pivotal role in the development of AAComplex technology. The proprietary complex is a blend of 3 key amino acids—arginine, serine, and glycine (abbreviated by Cohen as “TAG”)—selected based on their critical roles in skin health.
The development of this complex involved extensive research, including 85 in vitro studies on skin cells and 3D tissue models, 9 ex vivo studies using human skin explants, and 29 clinical trials, of which 18 are in-house.
The results demonstrated AAComplex’s effectiveness in enhancing skin barrier repair, accelerating post-procedure recovery, and reducing erythema.2
“This is the scientific part of the AAC technology,” Arvanitidou said. “Now, I'm moving into the formulation part. It is critical to design & identify the right backbone/chassis for the sunscreen, so the proprietary technology AAC is delivered from the formula in the most efficacious way.”
“It just makes sense to dovetail this with a sunscreen that offers what we’ve been able to provide in serums, creams, and cleansers,” Cohen added.
Cohen has been at the forefront of clinical research evaluating AAComplex’s application in dermatology. His primary focus has been its post-procedure use in patients undergoing non-ablative laser treatments, where skin barrier compromise is a key concern.
One pivotal study included 45 patients who applied the AAComplex-infused sunscreen following laser procedures. The findings revealed that patients experienced a significant reduction in post-procedure redness within 12 weeks.
After initial use, researchers observed a 14% reduction in erythema, specifically following the use of the non-tinted variant, which provides an instant redness reduction based on color theory. Over time, this increased to 52%. Patients also demonstrated enhanced hydration by an observed 72% improvement.
Additionally, clinicians noted significantly reduced water loss, improved overall skin texture, as well as a higher level of comfort and compliance compared to traditional post-procedure recovery products.
“We used fluorescence and other techniques to show the improvement,” Cohen noted.
Cohen emphasized that post-procedure skin care requires products that not only protect but also facilitate recovery. The sunscreen achieves this by supporting barrier repair while delivering broad-spectrum UV protection.
The inclusion of ceramides and Centella asiatica, a botanical known for its calming properties, further enhances the product’s reparative effects, ensuring both immediate comfort and long-term skin benefits.
While the efficacy of AAComplex was well-established, the challenge lay in formulating a cosmetically elegant sunscreen that patients would readily use. Many mineral sunscreens, particularly those containing zinc oxide, are notorious for leaving a heavy white cast, which can deter consistent application.
“If you have experience with all-mineral sunscreens, you put them on your face, and they leave a white cast. They are heavy,” Arvanitidou said. “We cannot afford for this sunscreen to be heavy, because for people who have just had a procedure...something heavy could potentially not be as well tolerated...perhaps even exacerbate their pain or redness. It was important for the sunscreen to be lightweight, absorb fast, and not leave a white cast.”
To address this, Arvanitidou’s team undertook an extensive formulation process, ensuring that the final product was:
“The first trials we did did not lead us to the best formula efficacy,” Arvanitidou said. “We had to go back to the drawing board and adjust different ingredients in the formula composition to get our AAC to perform the best.”
Beyond formulation elegance, EltaMD sought to address another key patient concern—visible redness, which led to the development of a color-correcting option.
An innovative advancement in this formulation is the introduction of a green-tinted version, designed to provide immediate redness reduction for individuals with rosacea or sensitive skin. The concept of using a green hue to neutralize redness dates back to early dermatologic formulations for patients with rosacea.
The sunscreen’s formulation includes niacinamide, a well-known anti-inflammatory ingredient, ensuring that it not only conceals redness but may also help treat underlying skin conditions like rosacea and acne.
“Even without the medication having any time to work or anything like that, the tint helped their redness,” Cohen added. “This would be a product that I would have them use long-term to try to camouflage.”
"Many of our patients in dermatology have either acne or rosacea, and we want to feel comfortable giving them something that’s going to, number 1, not make their problem worse, the rosacea and their redness, and number 2, that may actually help camouflage that from a cover-up standpoint,” Cohen explained.
The green-tinted sunscreen addresses this issue by providing an immediate color correction effect while also promoting skin barrier recovery. The proprietary amino acid complex aids in hydration and repair, making it suitable for individuals with sensitive or compromised skin.
To substantiate these benefits, researchers conducted multiple studies assessing both UV protection and skin repair properties of AAComplex.
Clinical studies support the product’s efficacy. One study, published in the Journal of Drugs in Dermatology in 2024,3 evaluated the UV protection and repair capabilities of the AAComplex using various human skin models. Researchers assessed its effects on collagen synthesis, inflammatory biomarkers, and DNA damage repair.
Findings showed that AAComplex prevented UVA-induced collagen loss in fibroblasts, reduced inflammatory markers (TNF-alpha, histamine, MMP-1) in skin explants, and enhanced skin barrier function when combined with a sunscreen and skincare serum.3
The formulation was rigorously tested for its absorbency, lightweight texture, and compatibility with various skin types, ensuring it meets the high standards required for dermatologic use. Furthermore, the sunscreen incorporates FDA-approved Food, Drug, and Cosmetic dyes, which are considered the highest safety standard for skin applications.
“The development of the sunscreen from the beginning was holding hands with the dermatologists in our advisory board and incorporating their input and feedback,” Arvanitidou said. “As scientists, taking this holistic approach and working along with the experts, the dermatologists, is what makes this such a great development.”
Whether for patients recovering from laser procedures, those struggling with rosacea, or individuals looking for a daily sunscreen that also provides a cosmetic benefit, this formulation checks all the boxes, according to Cohen and Arvanitidou.
“Honestly, there’s nothing else in this category,” Cohen noted. “There’s no other sunscreen, there’s no other post-procedure product that I’m aware of on the market now, that does [what this product does].”
The green-tinted EltaMD UV Skin Recovery SPF 50 Red Color Correcting Sunscreen is 52 USD, and the untinted version is 50 USD. Both are available to shop at EltaMD.com, as well as dermatologist offices and medical spas across the US.
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