Abstract: The photostabilizing electronic excited state energy—particularly singlet state energy from a UV-absorbing molecule has been found to be readily transferred to (accepted by) ?-cyanodiphenylacrylate compounds of formulas (I) and (V) having an alkoxy radical preferably in the four (para) position (hereinafter methoxycrylenes) on one or both of the phenyl rings: wherein at least one of R1 and R2 is a straight or branched chain C1-C12 alkoxy radical, preferably C1-C8, more preferably C1-C4, and most preferably methoxy, and any non-alkoxy radical R1 or R2 is hydrogen; and R3 is a straight or branched chain C1-C24 alkyl radical, preferably C12-C24, more preferably C20; wherein A and B are the same or different and are selected from the group consisting of oxygen, amino and sulfur; R1 and R3 are the same or different and are selected from the group consisting of C1-C30 alkyl, C2-C30 alkylene, C2-C30 alkyne, C3-C8 cycloalkyl, C1-C30 substituted alkylene, C2-C30 substituted alkyne, aryl, substituted aryl, hete

Abstract: A sunscreen composition containing a UV-A dibenzoylmethane derivative, such as 4-(1,1-dimethylethyl)-4'-methoxydibenzoylmethane (PARSOL.RTM. 1789), and a stabilizer/solubilizer for the dibenzoylmethane derivative having formula (I): ##STR1## These long branched chain alkyl salicylates having a C.sub.4 branch at the 2 position are quite effective in stabilizing the dibenzoylmethane derivative UV-B filter compounds making them more effective; effective for longer periods of time.