A Derry teenager who created an environmentally friendly sunscreen has been named UK Young Scientist of the Year.
Kaycee Deery (15) designed the SPF30 sunscreen to avoid harmful chemicals found in commercial suncreams which damage the environment.
The judges for the Big Bang UK Young Scientists & Engineers Competition said they were "really impressed with her creative ideas, problem solving and determination – all important elements in science".
A student at St Mary’s College in Derry, Kaycee said she was inspired to create sunscreens based on natural ingredients after seeing articles detailing potentially harmful chemicals in commercial sunscreens entering UK water systems.
Chemicals present in sunscreen, such as titanium dioxide and zinc oxide are washed away after swimming in the sea, pools and showering.
Once in the water system, these chemicals can harm and kill vital marine life and coral.
Kaycee set out to find a solution to this problem by creating natural sunscreens with UVA protection, derived from naturally occurring oils.
After selecting a range of oils, including vitamin A and E oils, she tested their ability to absorb and protect against UVA radiation.
Designing a homemade lightbox containing UVA light, she tested each oil for its ability to provide SPF protection.
Following her experiments, she was able to create several natural sunscreens ranging from SPF9 to SPF34 protection.
She plans to further her experiments by testing for UVB protection help avoid damage to skin such as burning and increased skin cancer risk.
Accepting her award for UK Young Scientist of the Year 2023, Kaycee said it was "surreal".
"I don’t feel like I’ve done it, but I did," she said.
"I decided to do this project to create a more sustainable, biodegradable and eco-friendly sunscreen.
"This award will help me continue and advance the project and hopefully, some day have an actual product to give people."
Dr Hilary Leevers from EngineeringUK, which runs The Big Bang UK Young Scientists & Engineers Competition, said: “Huge congratulations to Kaycee on her UK Young Scientist of the Year award.
"She has worked incredibly hard on her sunscreen project, innovating her own lightbox and experimenting to extract natural oils from plants and vegetables.
"The judges were really impressed with her creative ideas, problem solving and determination – all important elements in science. I look forward to seeing how Kaycee develops her sunscreens and what she achieves in the future.”
Other Northern Ireland winners included Nikita Morrison and Becca Connolly also from St Mary’s College, who won the Intermediate Science category award.
Ashton Mui, Callum Bailie and Niall Manson from Ballymena Academy took home the Siemens SMART Technologies Environmental Award 2023.
