EuroSun 2026 (European Conference on Sun Protection) will bring the international sun protection community to Basel on 27 – 28 May 2026, focusing on “Breakthroughs in Understanding Sun Protection”. The conference will explore new testing approaches, innovation in formulation and ingredients, performance beyond SPF and evolving expectations around trust and communication.
The SPF concept is easy to understand but not easy to measure
A conversation with Uli Osterwalder, Conference Chair
EURO COSMETICS:
You are leading EuroSun 2026 as Conference Chair. What motivated you to take on this role, and what is your vision for this edition of the conference?
Uli Osterwalder:
Thank you for this opportunity to speak about the EuroSun2026 conference. I have been working in the field of sun protection for around 30 years, starting with my position in technical marketing at FabricCare at Ciba Specialty Chemicals in Basel. I later became marketing manager and scientific advisor in SunCare at Ciba SC, BASF, and DSM. Eight years ago, I founded my own company, Sun Protection Facilitator. I am particularly motivated by the fact that we will be seeing and discussing the first real-world experiences with the latest SPF standards, ISO 23675 and ISO 23698, which I have been involved in developing since 2006 as an expert and since 2000 as chairman of the ISO/TC 217 technical committee.
EURO COSMETICS:
With your long-standing experience in photoprotection and international standardization, how do you see the sun care landscape evolving in 2026?
Uli Osterwalder:
I have indeed seen a lot when it comes to sun protection. Every year, there are problems or scandals regarding effectiveness or safety, e.g., sun protection factors are retested and found to be below the stated values, or UV filters are suspected of being endocrine disruptors. The EuroSun2026 conference in Basel will address these issues. The long-term goal is to avoid the distraction caused by these recurring annual issues in order to create space for focusing on skin protection and skin cancer prevention.
However, the year 2026 marks a milestone in a way, especially for the US market. The broad-spectrum, photostable UV filter bemotrizinol, which I helped bring to market worldwide during my time at Ciba SC, will finally be approved by the FDA in the US. The message for Europe is that we have a 25-year advantage.
EURO COSMETICS:
EuroSun2026 is framed around “Breakthroughs in Understanding Sun Protection.” Which breakthroughs do you consider most urgent right now: testing methods, formulation science, regulation/claims, or consumer trust?
Uli Osterwalder:
Thank you for your question. The short answer is: “All of the above!”
And they are all interconnected and urgent. The most important breakthrough will, of course, be trust, which is also directly related to business, especially the famous second purchase that makes a company profitable in the first place. In-depth knowledge of testing methods, formulation science, and regulations/labelling will help to (re)build trust in sunscreen products. The EuroSun2026 conference offers the opportunity to acquire this knowledge.
EURO COSMETICS:
Looking at the 2026 program, which sessions or themes should no one in the sun care industry miss and why?
Uli Osterwalder:
If I had to choose one session, I would choose Session 5, “Sunscreen Performance…” This is an important session that is relevant to anyone involved in sun protection. The list of speakers includes all relevant stakeholders, starting with a keynote address by the developers of the methods. This will be followed by speakers from a government agency and a consumer magazine that both monitor the market, followed by three representatives from testing laboratories. Finally, we will have speakers from UV filter and sunscreen manufacturers, who are considered responsible persons under European law and are also responsible for the tests. There are not many opportunities for all these stakeholders to come together to exchange ideas and learn for the future.
EURO COSMETICS:
Beyond SPF, discussions increasingly focus on UVA performance, water resistance, substantiation and consumer trust. Which of these topics do you expect to generate the most debate in Basel?
Uli Osterwalder:
I consider UVA to be part of the sun protection factor, but I expect debates about the European Commission’s new UVA recommendation and about protection against HEV/VIS. When we talk about “Beyond SPF,” we mean protection against reactive oxygen species (ROS), high-energy visible light (HEV), visible light (VIS), and infrared (IR). In the panel discussion at the end of the conference, “Sunscreens quo Vadis,” we will discuss what needs to be done to restore confidence in sunscreen. Prof. Reifler’s presentation on “Misinformation and Misperceptions: Lessons from Political Science” will also contribute to this topic. He claims that “the social sciences are the hard sciences” because they deal with people. The same could actually be said about the SPF in vivo method (ISO 24444), as the gold standard concerns human skin and the alternative methods that are fortunately now available should provide equivalent results. The conference will shed some light on these issues.
EURO COSMETICS:
Innovation in sun protection continues at high speed, from new ingredients to improved testing approaches. What developments are you personally most excited to see discussed at EuroSun 2026?
Uli Osterwalder:
Personally, I am looking forward to learning more about the experiences of the various stakeholders with the alternative SPF methods that have been characterized by the ALT-SPF Consortium. This will also be a highlight for me as chair of ISO/TC 217, where sun protection standards are developed. My checklist from the ISO side is: “ISO makes life easier, safer, and better.” I therefore expect the EuroSun2026 conference to provide a good overview of the current situation and thus make an important contribution to the further improvement and development of standards in the field of sun protection.
EURO COSMETICS:
What concrete takeaways can attendees expect to bring back to their laboratories or regulatory teams after the two days in Basel?
Uli Osterwalder:
One of the most important messages is the understanding that “the SPF concept is easy to understand but not easy to measure.” And the ultimate goal for everyone must be to restore confidence in sunscreen. Everyone involved needs to understand this. We are all in the same boat and pursuing this common goal. What will help the participants and their teams are the personal contacts that can be made during such a conference. This can lead to many very fruitful projects and successes in the future.
EURO COSMETICS:
If you had to give one reason why R&D teams, regulatory experts and brand owners should register for EuroSun2026 now, what would it be?
Uli Osterwalder:
The main reason is NETWORKING, i.e., establishing personal contacts and gaining experience. We humans are social beings. Creativity and innovation require the exchange of opinions. There will be over 30 motivated speakers and certainly motivated participants as well. I am convinced that there will be something for everyone.
Some may not yet have realized that personal contacts will continue to make the difference in the future. While information and expert opinions, e.g., generated by AI, are available in abundance, it will be a unique experience to be able to talk to a professor in a specialist field, a physicist from a test laboratory, an inspector from a regulatory authority, the editor of a consumer magazine, a UV filter manufacturer, a sunscreen manufacturer, an influencer, or a sun protection consultant during the two days in Basel—an experience that could make all the difference in the future.
EURO COSMETICS:
Thank you for speaking to us. We are very pleased to support EuroSun 2026 as a media partner and look forward to helping share the conference’s key insights with the wider industry.
Uli Osterwalder:
Thank you very much for the very interesting questions and the opportunity to answer them.
Registration: eurosun2026.com/registration
For more on sun protection standards and UV filter science, see Uli Osterwalder’s earlier column: Plasticizer in children’s urine – are we about to lose another UV filter?