With summer quickly approaching, many are worried about harmful UV exposure during their next beach or boat day.

Researchers from the University of Turku have developed SensoGlow, a synthetic material based on natural hackmanites that can change color based on the quantity and quality of UV radiation. The new material can be tuned to UVA, UVB or UVC radiation levels, as well as the UV index of the Sun.

“The color change of the SensoGlow material isn’t based on structural change, but on the electron storage in the material which makes it more durable than organic alternatives,” Isabella Norrbo, who is doing her doctoral dissertation in the research group, said in a statement. “Since the color change is based on electron storage, the process is reversible. When the material is removed from UV radiation, electrons return to their ground state, and the color of the material returns to normal.”

The synthetic material is comprised of synthetic hackmanites–(Na,M)₈Al₆Si₆O₂₄(Cl,S)₂—all common elements that are relatively cheap.

“We believe that it is possible to produce an affordable, versatile, and long-lasting UV radiation detector that could function in everyday use to monitor your UV radiation dose,” Mika Lastusaari, Docent in Inorganic Chemistry at the University of Turku, said in a statement. “This monitoring could be done using a mobile app.”

SensoGlow material could be used to create asticker that, when placed on a watch, could alert the user that the radiation level is increasing as the sticker’s color is intensifying. The user could also take a picture of the sticker and then use a mobile application to indicate the current value of the UV index.

UV radiation can cause various skin and eye diseases including skin cancer. To detect the quantity and quality of UV radiation, individuals currently use organic molecules that change color under UV radiation. However, organic molecules are plagued by poor durability because of the fact that the color changes involve reorganization of the molecular structure.

The study was published in Materials Horizons.