The photostabilizing electronic excited state energy—particularly singlet state energy from retinoid compounds—has been found to be readily transferred to (accepted by) α-cyanodiphenylacrylate compounds having an alkoxy radical in the four (para) position (hereinafter “alkoxycrylenes”) on one of the phenyl rings having the formula (I): wherein one of R1 and R2 is a straight or branched chain C1-C30 alkoxy radical, preferably C1-C8, more preferably methoxy, and the non-alkoxy radical R1 or R2 is hydrogen; and R3 is a straight or branched chain C1-C30 alkyl radical, preferably C2-C20. The alkoxycrylene compounds of formula (I) significantly increase the photostability of retinoid compounds in a composition by at least 3-fold.