Living organisms on the Earth surface are facing serious threats from both upcoming solar ultraviolet radiation (UVR) and widespread use of synthetic sunscreen. Concerns about the environmental and health impacts of synthetic sunscreen agents have spurred interest in natural photoprotective compounds. Among these, mycosporine-like amino acids (MAAs) have attracted considerable attention owing to their UV-absorbing capacity and diverse biological activities, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, anti-aging, wound-healing, anti-adipogenic and immunomodulatory effects. Despite their growing significance, a comprehensive assessment of the global research landscape of MAAs remains lacking. Therefore, this study presents the first scientometric analysis of MAAs research published between 1989 and 2025. A total of 859 documents were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC) and analyzed using VOSviewer. The results revealed a sustained elevation in scientific output over the study period, with publication trends accelerated during the last decade. Similarly, the major contribution research areas covered were marine biology (32.25%), biochemistry molecular biology (19.44%), and environmental sciences (14.45%), with biotechnology applied microbiology (13.27%) of the total publications. Keyword co‑occurrence clusters highlighted four research themes. The emerging trends open the path toward synthetic biology, omics‑based approaches and sustainability‑driven applications of MAAs. This first comprehensive scientometric evaluation of MAAs imparts the roadmap for the development of fundamental knowledge and therapeutic applications via exploration of developmental pathways, collaborative networks and thematic progress. The results further underscore the need for interdisciplinary cooperation and targeted research to overcome developmental challenges and progress the commercialization of MAAs.
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