Active: Zinc Oxide 12%. Inactive: Water ●
TL;DR. This ingredient functions as an inorganic UV filter, providing broad-spectrum sun protection by attenuating UVA and UVB radiation. At the stated active level, it also adds opacity and can affect texture and cast.
What does Active: Zinc Oxide 12%. Inactive: Water do in a cosmetic formula?
This ingredient functions as an inorganic UV filter, providing broad-spectrum sun protection by attenuating UVA and UVB radiation. At the stated active level, it also adds opacity and can affect texture and cast.
Is Active: Zinc Oxide 12%. Inactive: Water clean?
It has strong clean-standard acceptance because it is low-sensitizing and not usually on restricted lists except for nano-disclosure, inhalation-format, or coating considerations. DARE would flag respirable sprays or loose powders for extra format review, not routine cream or lotion use.
Is Active: Zinc Oxide 12%. Inactive: Water sustainable?
The active portion is mined and refined from non-renewable geological resources, so sourcing and processing carry a material footprint. It is inorganic and not biodegradable in the usual organic-chemistry sense, but it is not a persistent organic pollutant and has low bioaccumulation concern.
Is Active: Zinc Oxide 12%. Inactive: Water COSMOS-approved?
It is generally permitted under COSMOS natural and organic products as an allowed inorganic UV filter, with conditions around particle size, coatings, and regulatory compliance. Green Chemistry alignment is mixed: it is stable and effective at low formulation complexity, but it is non-renewable and requires mining and refining.
How does Active: Zinc Oxide 12%. Inactive: Water work chemically?
This compound is an insoluble inorganic particulate with a wide band gap that attenuates UV through absorption and scattering, with particle size, coating, and dispersion quality driving transparency, coverage, and whitening. In sunscreens it is commonly used around 5% to 25%, and it is stable across normal cosmetic pH ranges but can agglomerate, so formulas often rely on dispersants, film formers, and surface treatments for even coverage.
Last updated 2026-05-13