Active: Zinc Oxide 14.2%. Inactive: Water

TL;DR. This ingredient is a particulate mineral UV filter that reflects, scatters, and absorbs UV radiation in sunscreen formulas. At 14.2%, it is serving as the active sun-protection component rather than a supporting inactive ingredient.

What does Active: Zinc Oxide 14.2%. Inactive: Water do in a cosmetic formula?

This ingredient is a particulate mineral UV filter that reflects, scatters, and absorbs UV radiation in sunscreen formulas. At 14.2%, it is serving as the active sun-protection component rather than a supporting inactive ingredient.

Is Active: Zinc Oxide 14.2%. Inactive: Water clean?

Clean-beauty frameworks generally view this ingredient favorably because it is photostable, low-sensitizing, and widely accepted as a mineral sunscreen active. The main clean-standard caveats are particle size, surface coatings, purity specifications, and inhalation exposure in powders or sprays.

Is Active: Zinc Oxide 14.2%. Inactive: Water sustainable?

This material is mineral-derived and inorganic, so it is not renewable or biodegradable in the usual organic-material sense. Its environmental profile depends on mining practices, particle size, coatings, and release into waterways, where particulate minerals can persist in sediments.

Is Active: Zinc Oxide 14.2%. Inactive: Water COSMOS-approved?

It can be permitted under COSMOS-natural and COSMOS-organic when it meets mineral, purity, and particle-size requirements, with nano grades subject to additional conditions. From a Green Chemistry view, it scores well for photostability and low volatility, but less well on renewability and biodegradability.

How does Active: Zinc Oxide 14.2%. Inactive: Water work chemically?

This compound is an insoluble inorganic particulate made from divalent metal cations and oxygen anions in a crystalline lattice, giving broad UV attenuation through scattering and absorption. Sunscreen formulas commonly use it around 5% to 25%, and performance depends strongly on dispersion quality, particle size, surface treatment, film uniformity, and compatibility with the water phase.

Last updated 2026-05-16