The new transparent sunscreen is being developed by Dr Amanda Barnard and her team from CSIRO, by utilizing nanotechnology.

Nanotechnology which is a study on matter at a molecular level is used by Dr Barnard - who had just won the 2010 UNSW Eureka Prize for scientific research - to study the properties of nanoparticles in sunscreen.

A combination of supercomputer simulations and advanced theoretical modeling are being utilized to create a safe and transparent sunscreen.

Dr Barnard said her work will open the door for manufacturers to tailor their own properties for their sunscreens.

She said by predicting the right kind of parameters and properties through the use of supercomputer beforehand is a great advantage as it takes a lot of funds to develop new products including sunscreens.

Thanks to nanotechnology, the development of new products using materials as ultra-small as a millionth of a millimeter in size is possible, said Dr Barnard.

She said, The work that I'm doing ...is working out what are these ideal storage conditions, ideal operating conditions so once we know what we're doing, it's very easy to choose the right combination for a given situation.

The scientific work received the $10,000 prize due to its aim in providing important guidelines for sunscreen development, said Frank Howarth, director of the Australian Museum.

Dr Barnard is on a road to contribute to the safe commercialization of nanotechnology - a revolution of the 21st century, a rising billion-dollar industry - in a general sense, Mr Howarth said.