Zinc oxide

Zinc oxide (Zinc Oxide) fulfils three roles in a formulation at once: it acts as a physical UV filter , a white pigment and an active ingredient for irritated and problem skin. It is one of the basic raw materials for zinc creams and ointments, baby care products, mineral make-up, lip balms and soaps. It dissolves in neither water nor oil and is incorporated into the recipe as a dispersed powder , which requires different handling from water-soluble active ingredients. The raw material is of cosmetic and pharmaceutical grade with a purity of at least 99.9% . The particles have an average size of up to 0.8 µm and the product is not a nanomaterial. Nanomaterials are not used, added or formed during production, which matters to manufacturers who want to avoid nanoparticles in cosmetics. Zinc oxide is of mineral, European origin, contains no ingredients of animal origin and has not been tested on animals for cosmetic purposes. Key benefits Physical UV filter – reflects and scatters UV radiation on the surface of the skin. The resulting protection of the finished product depends on the usage rate, the evenness of dispersion and the overall composition. Opaque white pigment – in mineral powders and make-up it forms part of the pigment base and provides coverage. In soaps it whitens the base. Active ingredient for irritated skin – a traditional component of zinc ointments and creams for reddened and acne-prone skin and of protective nappy area creams. Neutral pH – the raw material has a pH of 6.8–7.4 , so it does not push the pH of the formulation to extremes and is suitable for p