Photoisomerization can result in products that absorb less UV light than their parent compound. This is evidenced by cinnamates, salicylates, benzylidine camphor, and dibenzoylmethane derivatives. Octyl methoxycinnamate (OMC) can undergo photoisomerization, photodegradation, and photodimerization to obtain several dimers and cyclodimers isomers. Most commercial products are trans isomers but exist in the environment as a mixture of trans and cis isomers upon exposure to UV radiation due to the presence of the C=C double bond adjacent to the aromatic rings. The isomers may have identical physicochemical properties, but they may differ in biological behavior and effects.
