Suncayr: a magic marker to know when your sunscreen is gone.

We all know the importance of sunscreen, and if you don’t you should watch this ad about the risks and damages that UV light does in the skin.

Maybe we don’t realize how invasive the UV light can be, and haven’t included in our routine put on sunscreen in our face and body. But have some kind of reminder could be really useful. Five students from the University of Waterloo in Canada decided to solve this problem, and they came up with a fun and amazing idea, which they called SUNCAYR.

Suncayr is a magic marker that can be used directly on the skin and the color changes when you need to re-apply sunscreen. The idea is very original; the user has to be painted on the skin that’s going to have contact with the sunlight. The colour change is reversible, can last all day, leaves no tan line, and is removable at the end of the day. In addition, the marker can be applied anywhere you want (especially in areas that are easily burned, like on your shoulders), and is very water-resistant.

This possibility of making customized drawings, makes it fun and original,

Accordding to the developers their inspiration was

 “We are a team of five nanotechnology engineers who are fed up with getting sunburned. Derek was surfing in California, but because he forgot to re-apply his sunscreen, had a peeling sunburn on his face that hurt for days. Andrew has got burned so many times because he didn’t know if his sunscreen was protecting him, that he refuses to go from class to class outdoors, even on a beautiful summer day. As a group of friends, we were as diligent as we could be about re-applying sunscreen on a trip to the beach, but Rachel came home with a nasty burn on her back that peeled for more than a week. We knew there had to be a better way of enjoying the sun without having to worry about coming home burnt red.

We chose to create Suncayr to solve the problem of not knowing when to reapply sunscreen. Painful and peeling sunburns greatly increase an individuals 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.”

They have been working for a few months now, and have successfully created their first prototype. The prototype is one color (blue) when exposed to UV, and another color (clear/white) when your sunscreen is protecting you.

Now they are currently working on the next stage of their design, which is incorporating this dye into a form-factor that can be applied to the skin.

You can watch here how it goes the prototype

I can’t wait to see the final product.

 

For more info click here 

 

Ivette Medina
Economist with a M.Sc in International Development Studies from the University of Amsterdam. Specialized in project development related to citizen participation,human rights,local and sustainable development.