--- description: Find out why Whiter Paint is one of the best inventions of 2023 title: Whiter Paint: The 200 Best Inventions of 2023 image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd540193c0b76cc46/698a41aa09208f602b41ade4/best-inventions-2023-whiter-white-02.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 --- Oct 24, 2023 # A Cooler Color Whiter Paint by [Tara Law](/author/tara-law/) ## Tara Law Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close  Xiulin Ruan, a Purdue University professor of mechanical engineering, holds up his lab's sample of the whitest paint on record. Xiulin Ruan, a Purdue University professor of mechanical engineering, holds up his lab's sample of the whitest paint on record.Jared Pike—Purdue University When the sun shines on a typical white building, the exterior’s paint reflects 80 to 90% of the light. The remainder warms the surrounding area and inflates air-conditioning bills. But a new, whiter paint incorporates chemicals that better scatter UV rays, making it up to 98% reflective and potentially reducing AC needs by as much as 40%. “The heat is reflected into deep space,” says Xiulin Ruan, a professor of mechanical engineering who led the Purdue University team that created the paint. “You keep our cities cooler.” In fall 2022, the team announced the development of a thinner, lighter version that could coat airplanes, cars, and even spaceships. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Article","@id":"https://time.com/collections/best-inventions-2023/6326402/whiter-paint/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/collections/best-inventions-2023/6326402/whiter-paint/"},"headline":"A Cooler Color","datePublished":"2023-10-24T11:00:35.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-03T00:23:19.354Z","description":"","url":"https://time.com/collections/best-inventions-2023/6326402/whiter-paint/","keywords":["list","franchise","ecommerce","Magazine","best inventions","Best Inventions 2023"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd540193c0b76cc46/698a41aa09208f602b41ade4/best-inventions-2023-whiter-white-02.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Tara Law","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/tara-law/"}],"creator":"Tara Law","articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd540193c0b76cc46/698a41aa09208f602b41ade4/best-inventions-2023-whiter-white-02.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/collections/best-inventions-2023/6326402/whiter-paint/","name":"A Cooler Color"}}]}] ```