Fernblock® celebrates 25th anniversary without leaving home

• HELIOCARE might be sheltering at home but it is also celebrating the 25th anniversary of its core and patented exclusive technology – Fernblock®
• The discovery of Fernblock® by Cantabria Labs led to the establishment of oral sunscreen, a revolution in skincare for the sun
• Fernblock® was first produced at Harvard Medical School by the ‘father of dermatology’, Dr Thomas B. Fitzpatrick, and a team of dermatologists including Dr Salvador González
• Now that sunbathing has been drastically reduced for most of the population, Cantabria Labs is promoting the use of HELIOCARE ORAL for added sun protection

Sheltering at home doesn’t bode well for birthdays or important dates. That’s why thousands of Spaniards are currently being forced to find new ways to celebrate anniversaries and birthdays: homemade cakes, improvised decorations and virtual greetings and guests. Similarly, Cantabria Labs, which proposed marking the 25th anniversary of Fernblock® as a family this April, has had to celebrate online the landmark development of this technology that subsequently led to the invention of HELIOCARE Oral Sunscreen.

Cantabria Labs is celebrating 25 years since the discovery of Fernblock®, the core active ingredient in the HELIOCARE sunscreen range, through a series of digital initiatives. In 1995, Cantabria Labs, backed by a team of dermatologists, began a joint study with Harvard Medical School to develop skincare ingredients.

“Like many breakthroughs, the discovery of Fernblock® came about by chance. We were looking for a treatment for vitiligo and discovered a natural plant extract that had action mechanisms against radiation and helped repair sun damage,” Dr González said.

Dr Salvador González was part of the research group, together with Dr Thomas B. Fitzpatrick, considered the father of dermatology, and therefore one of the discoverers of this technology of immense importance in caring for the skin: Fernblock®, based on Polypodium leucotomos.

“Polypodium leucotomos was originally an aquatic fern which over thousands of years moved onto land and developed defence mechanisms against the sun to survive. Its standardised extract, Fernblock®, is today an active ingredient with powerful protective, antioxidant and restorative action against sun damage that acts both topically and orally, as demonstrated in its 60-plus studies,” Dr González added.

The synergy between Fernblock® and the other HELIOCARE active ingredients acts on all four types of radiation (UVB, UVA, Visible and IR) and prevents both their immediate damage (sunburn) and that which can appear over time: skin aging, dark spots, loss of defences, allergies and even skin cancer.

HELIOCARE ORAL – added sun protection

By taking Fernblock® orally, Cantabria Labs found the way to add to sun protection by boosting the skin’s resistance to the sun from the inside. Today, with professional backing, HELIOCARE Oral capsules are the ideal supplement for photoaged or sensitive skin and skin that will be exposed to the sun for long periods. When lockdown ends, our skin will have gone a long time without being exposed to the sun, making HELIOCARE Oral perfect for providing photoprotection in this situation.

HELIOCARE Oral is an ideal supplement for topical sunscreen and very common amongst sportspeople. “I sweat a lot when I play and I can’t stop midway through a match to reapply cream. Knowing I am getting added sun protection from the inside strikes me as important progress,” said Rafa Nadal on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of Fernblock®.