With summer just months away, it’s important to start planning for the harsh sun rays ahead of time. Our latest product addition is an ingredient commonly found in physical mineral sunscreen: zinc oxide! Zinc oxide is obtained from the vaporization and oxidation of metallic zinc. This process yields an odorless, powdery white to yellow material.
Personal Health
Zinc oxide is often used to formulate topical sunscreen products or moisturizers for UVA and UVB absorption. UVA and UVB rays are responsible for sunburns, skin damage, and even potential heat rashes. Zinc oxide sits on top of the epidermis and works to scatter and reflect UVA and UVB rays, preventing penetration of the skin.
Sunscreen isn’t the only commodity you can find zinc oxide in! You might notice this ingredient in medicated creams, especially if you’ve ever dealt with diapers. Zinc oxide ointments are frequently used to help prevent diaper rash and reduce the irritation of symptoms. Other personal uses include anti-chafe protectants or relief, calamine lotion, and is frequently added to anti-itch or anti-septic creams. It contains anti-bacterial qualities and is even found in various dentistry products.
Industrial Usage
Zinc oxide is used in a variety of industrial productions such as but not limited to: paint, rubber, ink, plastics, enamels, glass, electronics, adhesives, and other chemical products. In addition to previously mentioned UV protection and antibacterial properties, zinc oxide also a high refractive index, high thermal conductivity, and good binding qualities.
Art history lesson time: if you’ve ever shopped for paint in an art store, you’d see several types of white including zinc white (sometimes called mixing white). Zinc oxide has been used in paint for centuries, introduced in the 18th century as an alternative to lead-based white paint. Zinc white is a suitable medium for tinting other pigments as opposed to titanium white which is undeniably opaquer.
If zinc oxide suits your needs, pick it up at wholesale bulk pricing on bulknaturaloils.com!
