Ultraviolet radiation absorbing polyethers

1. A composition comprising a cosmetic oil solvent and a polymer composition comprising a linear ultraviolet radiation absorbing polyether that comprises a covalently bound UV-chromophore and a backbone comprising glyceryl repeat units.

2. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the cosmetic oil solvent comprises alkyl benzoates.

3. The composition of claim 1 having an SPF of about 25 or greater.

4. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the linear ultraviolet radiation absorbing polyether comprises a repeat unit of the formula:

where Y is the covalently bound UV-chromophore.

5. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the polymer composition comprises about 50 or more of said linear ultraviolet radiation absorbing polyether.

6. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the UV-chromophore is a benzotriazole.

7. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the UV-chromophore absorbs both UVA and UVB radiation.

8. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the polymer composition has a weight average molecular weight of about 500 to about 50,000.

9. A linear ultraviolet radiation absorbing polyether prepared by the process of transesterification of a linear polyglycerol containing side chain hydroxyl groups and a UV-chromophore ester.

10. The polyether of claim 9 , wherein transesterification is performed using an acid catalyst.

11. The polyether of claim 9 , wherein the UV chromophore is a benzotriazole.

12. The polyether of claim 9 , wherein the UV-chromophore absorbs both UVA and UVB radiation.

13. The polyether of claim 9 having a weight average molecular weight of about 500 to about 50,000.