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Active ingredient

Zinc Oxide

INCI · Zinc Oxide (micronized grades labeled Zinc Oxide [nano] per EU 1223/2009 Art. 19)

Zinc oxide is a mineral UV filter used in sunscreen and photoprotective skincare to reflect and scatter UVB and the full UVA spectrum. It offers the broadest single-filter UVA coverage available in cosmetic formulations and remains chemically inert on the skin surface. Suitable for sensitive and post-procedure skin. No conflicts.

Last reviewed by BIOSAR Scientific Team, PharmD, Cosmetic Chemistry, Pharmacy practice on .

Pregnancy and breastfeeding

No specific caution is known for cosmetic use during pregnancy or breastfeeding. If you are unsure, ask your doctor or pharmacist.

Mineral UV filters zinc oxide and titanium dioxide remain on the skin surface and are not systemically absorbed. ACOG, Mother to Baby, and Trivedi et al. (2017) recommend mineral sunscreens during pregnancy.

Mechanism in detail

What Zinc Oxide does

Mineral UV filter and skin-protectant oxide. It reflects UVA and UVB across a broad spectrum and forms a calming, protective layer — the reason it works both in sunscreens and in soothing diaper-area care.

Evidence

What the research says

  • to 400 nmAttenuates UVB through long-wave UVA in lab tests

    Laboratory tests of microfine zinc oxide showed attenuation across the UV spectrum, including long-wave UVA up to 400 nm. It stayed stable under irradiation and did not degrade an organic filter. A study by the material's maker; lab data.

    Read the study

    J Am Acad Dermatol 1999 (Mitchnick)

Where it helps

Concerns Zinc Oxide addresses

  • Acne

    Acne is rarely just acne. It is the anxiety before a meeting, the photo you skip, the makeup routine that started as "a little" and is now twenty minutes. The marks last longer than the breakouts, and they carry the breakout's weight long after the skin has healed. The Acnemed range is the salicylic-acid-led routine BIOSAR built for the full cycle — clearing active blemishes, calming the inflammation that follows, and reducing the marks the breakouts leave behind. Designed under dermatological supervision.

  • Dryness

    Dryness is a barrier dysfunction in which skin loses water faster than it can retain or replenish it, presenting as flaking, tightness, dullness, and roughness. Mild dryness reflects routine over-cleansing or environmental exposure; chronic dryness signals a deeper deficit in skin lipids (ceramides, cholesterol, fatty acids) and humectant content (the natural moisturising factor). Effective treatment hydrates and replenishes the barrier through three layered actions: humectants that draw water in, occlusives that seal it in, and barrier actives that rebuild the lipid mortar. The BIOSAR Hydraderm range delivers this layered hydration and visibly plumps dehydrated skin.

  • Sensitivity

    If you have sensitive skin, you have probably been told it is in your head — by a product that says "gentle" on the label, by a friend whose skin tolerates everything yours cannot, sometimes by a professional who could not find a visible cause for the symptoms. It is not in your head. The mechanisms are measurable, the biology is mapped, and the care that follows from understanding them is what the Sensimed range was built around.

  • Sun Damage

    Sun damage is the cumulative photoaging caused by ultraviolet radiation, presenting as solar lentigines, irregular pigmentation, fine lines, deeper wrinkles, leathery texture, and elevated skin cancer risk. UVA penetrates the dermis and drives collagen breakdown; UVB damages epidermal DNA and triggers melanin overproduction. Extrinsic factors, with UV exposure carrying the largest share, account for an estimated 80% of premature visible skin aging. Daily broad-spectrum SPF, antioxidant serums, and pigmentation correctors reverse early damage and prevent further progression. The BIOSAR Sunprotex range delivers broad-spectrum UVA + UVB protection layered with antioxidants for measurably stronger photoprotection.

From the BIOSAR catalog

Products formulated with Zinc Oxide

Next ingredientZinc PCA