![]() ![]() The biggest concern with nanoparticles in cosmetics is the threat of inhalation when they are used in powders and sprays. Science overwhelmingly shows that particles of zinc oxide greater than 30nm, when applied to the skin in a lotion or cream based product, do not get absorbed into the body, do not enter the bloodstream, and are not a threat to human health.(1)(2)(3)(4)(5) There are no studies showing that nanoparticles of zinc oxide can penetrate healthy human skin, whereas chemical sunscreen ingredients, which are molecular in size and thus significantly smaller than nanoparticles, are designed to be absorbed into the skin, and thereby they can get into the blood. One comprehensive review of the scientific literature(1) shows that nano-particles of zinc oxide greater than 30nm do not exhibit properties any different than those of larger non-nano sized particles. When a substance is so small that it is measured in nanometers (1 to 100 billionths of a meter), the surface area to volume ratio is so great that the actual properties of the substance may change. The nanoparticle controversy stems from the potential health risks caused by nanoparticles if they were to enter the human body. Shop Clear Zinc Sunscreens Nanoparticle vs Non-Nano Non-Nano Zinc Oxide results show a particle size range of 200nm to 26,000nm with an average of 1500nm and no detectable nanoparticles. Note, these samples were taken from our actual sunscreen products, not the raw zinc oxide ingredient.Ĭlear Zinc Oxide results show a particle size range of 565nm to 19,000nm with an average particle size of 3400nm and no detectable nanoparticles. Because of this we expect that the true particle sizes are somewhat lower than the averages (which include these agglomerates). The bumps in the larger (right hand) end of these graphs indicate agglomerates, or the natural sticking together of particles. The results would show us whether or not there are free nanoparticles in the samples, and there are not. In addition anayzing several scanning electron microscope images of zinc oxide (as discussed above) we also hired a third party laboratory to conduct a light scattering analysis of the clear zinc oxide (that we currently use) and non-nano zinc oxide (that we used to use). ![]() But to remind you, there are no detectable free nanoparticles in clear zinc oxide. The EU, for example, considers clear zinc oxide to be a nanomaterial because some of the identifiable constituent particles (the little crystallites that make up the larger non-nano particles) are measurable on the nano-scale. Despite this, and the general acceptance in the USA that clear zinc is non-nano, we have decided not to identify our zinc oxide as non-nano because of the different definitions of nano in some other countries in which we sell our sunscreens. You can see that there are no free nanoparticles (which we verified with light scattering analysis). The lower image shows a close up of the zinc oxide crystallites making up the larger particles. The top image shows that clear zinc oxide is composed of large particles between about 5 nanometers in diameter (5 - 90x larger than nanoparticles). As of 2022 we now use clear zinc oxide as the only active ingredient in all our sunscreens. After a decade reviewing all the published research and conducting our own independent laboratory analyses on clear zinc oxide we’ve determined that it meets our stringent standards for ingredient safety and efficacy and it is completely safe for us to use in our sunscreens and on our families. It won't absorb into your body, it won't harm the environment, and it provides excellent UVA and UVB protection.Ĭlear zinc oxide is an approved sunscreen UV filter in the US, the EU, and all major international markets and it meets the natural cosmetic standards of the Natural Products Association (USA) and ECOCERT (EU). The large particle size of clear zinc oxide gives it the same outstanding safety and efficacy of standard non-nano zinc oxide. Clear zinc oxide is a specialized type of mineral zinc oxide powder whose particles have a porous surface texture (like a sea sponge) that doesn’t reflect as much visible light as standard non-nano zinc oxide and is therefore less whitening on the skin. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |