Active Ingredient: Zinc Oxide 18% Inactive Ingredients: Water ●
TL;DR. This ingredient primarily functions as a mineral UV filter, reflecting and scattering UV rays while also absorbing portions of the UV spectrum. At 18%, it is being used at a sunscreen-it level rather than as a minor opacity or soothing-support ingredient.
What does Active Ingredient: Zinc Oxide 18% Inactive Ingredients: Water do in a cosmetic formula?
This ingredient primarily functions as a mineral UV filter, reflecting and scattering UV rays while also absorbing portions of the UV spectrum. At 18%, it is being used at a sunscreen-it level rather than as a minor opacity or soothing-support ingredient.
Is Active Ingredient: Zinc Oxide 18% Inactive Ingredients: Water clean?
This ingredient is generally well accepted in clean-beauty frameworks because it is low-irritation, non-fragrant, and not a common sensitizer. Friction usually centers on particle size, inhalation concerns in loose powders or sprays, and ensuring the grade meets purity and regulatory requirements.
Is Active Ingredient: Zinc Oxide 18% Inactive Ingredients: Water sustainable?
This material is mineral-derived, so its footprint is tied to mining, refining, and particle processing rather than agricultural sourcing. It is inorganic and does not biodegrade, but it is not typically treated like persistent synthetic polymers in clean-standard reviews.
Is Active Ingredient: Zinc Oxide 18% Inactive Ingredients: Water COSMOS-approved?
It can be permitted under COSMOS-natural and COSMOS-organic standards when it meets the standard’s mineral, purity, and particle-size requirements for sunscreen use. From a Green Chemistry perspective, it scores well for low reactivity and skin tolerance, but less strongly on renewable sourcing and biodegradability.
How does Active Ingredient: Zinc Oxide 18% Inactive Ingredients: Water work chemically?
The molecule is an insoluble inorganic lattice material used as a dispersed particulate, so performance depends heavily on particle size, coating, dispersion quality, and film uniformity on skin. Sunscreen formulas commonly use high single-digit to low-20% it levels, and stable performance usually requires suspension control, compatible film formers, and careful pH and electrolyte management in water-based systems.
Last updated 2026-05-13