Provided herein are compositions comprising panthenol-citrate containing materials. In particular, panthenol citrate compounds, oligomers, and polymers, and methods of use and synthesis thereof, are provided herein. Panthenol-citrate containing materials are a class of nontoxic, photoluminescent-chromophore-containing compounds, oligomers, and polymers with high absorption in the UVA and UVB range that can be incorporated and/or engineered into a variety of optically-active biomaterials (e.g., sunscreen products).
