The photostabilizing electronic excited state energy—particularly singlet state energy from a UV-absorbing molecule has been found to be readily transferred to (accepted by) α-cyanodiphenylacrylate compounds of formulas (I) and (V) having an alkoxy radical preferably in the four (para) position (hereinafter methoxycrylenes) on one or both of the phenyl rings:wherein at least one of R1 and R2 is a straight or branched chain C1-C12 alkoxy radical, preferably C1-C8, more preferably C1-C4, and most preferably methoxy, and any non-alkoxy radical R1 or R2 is hydrogen and R3 is a straight or branched chain C1-C24 alkyl radical, preferably C12-C24, more preferably C20wherein A and B are the same or different and are selected from the group consisting of oxygen, amino and sulfur R1 and R3 are the same or different and are selected from the group consisting of C1-C30 alkyl, C2-C30 alkylene, C2-C30 alkyne, C3-C8 cycloalkyl, C1-C30 substituted alkylene, C2-C30 substituted alkyne, aryl, substituted aryl, heteroaryl, heterocycloalkyl, substituted heteroaryl and substituted heterocycloalkyl R2 is selected from the group consisting of C1-C30 alkyl, C2-C30 alkylene, C2-C30 alkyne, C3-C8 cycloalkyl, C1-C30 substituted alkyl, C3-C8 substituted cycloalkyl, C1-C30 substituted alkylene, C2-C30 substituted alkyne R4, R5, R6 and R7 are the same or different and are selected from the group consisting of C1-C30 alkoxy straight chin on branched and a, b, c and d are each either 0 or 1, and a, b, c and d add up to 1, 2, 3, or 4.
