Eco-friendly sunscreen wins top science award for Derry pupil

Kaycee won the award for producing her sunscreen using natural oils

A 15-year-old schoolgirl from Londonderry has been crowned UK Young Scientist of the Year for creating an environmentally-friendly sunscreen.

Kaycee Deery designed a sunscreen that avoids the use of harmful chemicals that can damage the environment.

The St Mary's College student designed a home-made UVA lightbox and tested natural oils for their ability to provide protection for the skin.

Kaycee said that winning the prestigious award was surreal.

"I'm still in shock," she told BBC Radio Foyle's Mark Patterson Show.

"I don't think it has sunk in yet and I don't think it will for a while."

Kaycee was presented with her award at the the UK Young Scientists and Engineers competition in Birmingham this week.

She said she was inspired to make the product after seeing articles about potentially-harmful chemicals in commercial sunscreens entering UK water systems.

"We needed to find a more eco-friendly solution because the store-bought kind are harming the marine life and the coral reefs, which just isn't fair," said Kaycee.

Kaycee says that winning the prestigious award has been surreal

Kaycee set about creating natural sunscreens with UVA protection, derived from naturally-occurring oils.

She then tested the ability of the oils to absorb and protect against UVA radiation.

Designing a homemade lightbox containing a UVA light torch, she tested each oil for its ability to provide SPF protection.

After her experiments she was able to create several natural sunscreens ranging from SPF9 to SPF34 protection.

The Derry student plans to further her experiments by testing for UVB protection to help avoid damage to skin such as burning and an increased risk of skin cancer.

'Aim high, you can do it'

Northern Ireland was well represented among the winners at the competition, with Nikita Morrison and Becca Connolly, also from St Mary's College, winning the intermediate science category award.

Ashton Mui, Callum Baillie and Niall Manson from Ballymena Academy also took home the Siemens Smart Technologies environmental award.

St Mary's science teacher Anne Blanking said she was incredibly proud of her students and praised their hard work.

"They joined the chemistry club and we've been doing projects ever since," she said.

"They've worked really, really hard and I am so proud of them.

"I don't think there should be a ceiling for the girls - aim high, you can do it, just look for solutions."