Australia has the world’s highest rate of melanoma, skin cancer caused by unprotected exposure to harmful UV radiation from the sun, causing thousands of deaths annually. A fundamental and effective form of protection is sunscreen, which experts suggest should be reapplied each hour. During the initial investigation, I discovered that 95% of teenagers fail to reapply at all. Despite the duration of their exposure, they “forget” or “lose track of time.”

There are also documented health impacts of not getting enough sun exposure. As a result, it is suggested that people do not wear protection on days with low levels of UV radiation to boost their vitamin D levels. Despite Australia’s alarming rates of melanoma, vitamin D deficiencies are also common, and 30% of young adults have experienced this. When Vitamin-D levels are too low, people face the risk of a weakened immune system and other health complications.

My design offers a solution to both these important health issues facing young Australians. It is in the form of a refillable sunscreen bottle with a built-in timer and UV meter. The bottle itself is the UV meter, as it is made from UltraViolet sensitive plastic, and its colour change during exposure is compared against a key to indicate whether sunscreen is needed or not. Once the user has applied sunscreen if necessary, the mechanical timer built into the base of the bottle is wound and tracks how much time has passed since the last application, alerting them when to reapply.