Menu
ZINC OXIDE (sunscreen grade > 100nm)
Score:
Data: Good
- Other Concerns
- Functions
- About the Chemical
- Synonyms
-
Enhanced skin absorption, Persistence and bioaccumulation (low), Non-reproductive organ system toxicity (moderate), Ecotoxicology (low), Occupational hazards (moderate), and Biochemical or cellular level changes (high)
Cancer 
Cancer: Ingredients linked to cancer in government, industry or academic studies or assessments.
Developmental & Reproductive Toxicity
Developmental and reproductive toxicity: Ingredients linked to developmental and reproductive toxicity, a broad class of health effects that range from infertility and reproductive organ cancers to birth defects and developmental delays in children.
Allergies & Immunotoxicity
Allergies and immunotoxicity: Ingredients linked to harm to the immune system, a class of health problems that manifest as allergic reactions or an impaired capacity to fight disease and repair damaged tissue in the body.
Products with this Ingredient
| beach & sport sunscreen | 475 products |
| moisturizer with SPF | 303 products |
| baby sunscreen | 66 products |
| diaper cream | 42 products |
| CC cream | 37 products |
| lip balm with SPF | 33 products |
| BB cream | 25 products |
| foundation | 17 products |
| makeup primer | 4 products |
| baby powder | 2 products |
| lipstick | 2 products |
| concealer | 1 products |
| facial powder | 1 products |
| facial moisturizer/treatment | 1 products |
Enhanced skin absorption
| Concern | Reference |
|---|---|
| Nano-scale ingredients with potential to absorb into the skin | Nanomaterial Database |
| Nano scale (<100 nm primary particle size) ingredients may absorb into skin | FDA (US. Food and Drug Administration). 2006. FDA Considerations for Regulation of Nanomaterial Containing Products. Presentation by Nakissa Sadrieh, Ph.D., Office of Pharmaceutical Science, CDER, FDA. Available online at http://www.fda.gov/nanotechnology/. |
Biochemical or cellular level changes
| Concern | Reference |
|---|---|
| Produces excess reactive oxygen species that can interfere with cellular signaling, cause mutations, lead to cell death and may be implicated in cardiovascular disease. | Hidaka H, Kobayashi, H, Koike, T. Sato, T., Serpone, N. 2006. DNA Damage Photoinduced by Cosmetic Pigments and Sunscreen Agents under Solar Exposure and Artifical UV Illumination. J Oleo Sci 55(5): 249-61. |
Decreased skin absorption
| Concern | Reference |
|---|---|
| Zinc oxide (micronized or ACS grade) is not absorbed by intact or injured skin | {Gasparro, 1998; Derry, 1983; Labor, 1999; Pirot, 1996; Morgan, 1983; Landsdown, 1997} |
Occupational hazards
| Concern | Reference |
|---|---|
| Allowed workplace exposures restricted to moderate doses | National Library of Medicine HazMap |
| Inhalation causes acute but reversible health effects--fever, intense shaking, chills, fever, and body pain. | Gordon T, Fine JM 1993. Metal fume fever. Occup Med. Jul-Sep;8(3):504-17. Review. |
Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive)
| Concern | Reference |
|---|---|
| Possible human respiratory toxicant | Association of Occupational and Environmental Clinics |
| One or more animal studies show classified as toxic effects at moderate doses (low dose studies may be unavailable for this ingredient) | EPA Toxic Release Inventory PBTs |
| Zinc oxide nanoparticles are cytotoxic when applied directly to cultured human aortic endothelial cells and cause considerable cell death. | Gojova A, Guo B, Kota RS, Rutledge JC, Kennedy IM, Barakat AI 2007. Induction of inflammation in vascular endothelial cells by metal oxide nanoparticles: effect of particle composition. Environ Health Perspect 115(3): 403-409. |
Cancer
| Concern | Reference |
|---|---|
| Micronized zinc oxide (188nm effective particle size) found to damage DNA and mitochondria in human (MSTO-211H) and rat (3T3) cells | {Brunner, 2006} |
| UV irradiation provoked a sensitivity to the cellular test system and a slight increase in the genotoxic potency of zinc oxide | Dufour E, et al 2006. Clastogenicity, photo-clastogenicity or pseudo-photo-clastogenicity: Genotoxic effects of zinc oxide in the dark, in pre-irradiated or simultaneously irradiated Chinese hamster ovary cells. Mutation Research 607(2 ): 215-24. |
Persistence and bioaccumulation
| Concern | Reference |
|---|---|
| Zinc found to be bioaccumulative in Arctic seabirds | Borgå K, Campbell L, Gabrielsen GW, Norstrom RJ, Muir DC, Fisk AT, 2006 |
Ecotoxicology
| Concern | Reference |
|---|---|
| Wildlife and environmental toxicity | CPS&Q - Classification & Labelling |
| Zinc oxide demonstrated increased antibacterial activity increasing with particle concentration | Adams, L K., D. Y. Lyon, et al. (2006). "Comparative eco-toxicity of nanoscale TiO2, SiO2, and ZnO water suspensions." Water Research Article in Press. |
Data gaps
| Concern | Reference |
|---|---|
| 14377 studies in PubMed science library may include information on the toxicity of this chemical | NLM PubMed |
Developmental/reproductive toxicity
| Concern | Reference |
|---|---|
| Not likely to be a reproductive toxicant | European Chemicals Bureau 2004. ZINC OXIDE Part II – Human Health, CAS No: 1314-13-2, EINECS No: 215-222-5; Summary Risk Assessment Report Addendum to the Part II (Human Health) I-21020 Ispra (VA) Italy. |
Multiple, additive exposure sources
| Concern | Reference |
|---|---|
| Designated as safe for general or specific, limited use in food | FDA Food Additive Status |
| Designated as safe for general or specific, limited use in food | FDA Everything Added to Food |
Informational
| Concern | Reference |
|---|---|
| Industry or government recommendations for safe use: restrictions on concentration, impurities, product types, or manufacturing methods - Color additive approved by FDA for use in cosmetics | FDA Color Additive Status |
| Industry or government recommendations for safe use: restrictions on concentration, impurities, product types, or manufacturing methods - Color Additives - Exempt from Batch Certification by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration | CTFA International Cosmetic Ingredient Dictionary and Handbook |
Data Sources
- NanoWerk. 2007. Nanomaterial Database. Available online: http://www.nanowerk.com/phpscripts/n_dbsearch.php
- FDA (US. Food and Drug Administration). 2006. FDA Considerations for Regulation of Nanomaterial Containing Products. Presentation by Nakissa Sadrieh, Ph.D., Office of Pharmaceutical Science, CDER, FDA. Available online at http://www.fda.gov/nanotechnology/.
- Hidaka H, Kobayashi, H, Koike, T. Sato, T., Serpone, N. 2006. DNA Damage Photoinduced by Cosmetic Pigments and Sunscreen Agents under Solar Exposure and Artifical UV Illumination. J Oleo Sci 55(5): 249-61.
- {Gasparro, 1998; Derry, 1983; Labor, 1999; Pirot, 1996; Morgan, 1983; Landsdown, 1997}
- NLM (National Library of Medicine). 2006. HazMap — Occupational Exposure to Hazardous Agents.
- Gordon T, Fine JM 1993. Metal fume fever. Occup Med. Jul-Sep;8(3):504-17. Review.
- AOEC (Association of Occupational and Environmental Clinics). 2009. AEOC exposures codes and asthmagen designation.
- EPA (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency). 1999. Toxics Release Inventory Program. PBT Chemical Rule.
- Gojova A, Guo B, Kota RS, Rutledge JC, Kennedy IM, Barakat AI 2007. Induction of inflammation in vascular endothelial cells by metal oxide nanoparticles: effect of particle composition. Environ Health Perspect 115(3): 403-409.
- {Brunner, 2006}
- Dufour E, et al 2006. Clastogenicity, photo-clastogenicity or pseudo-photo-clastogenicity: Genotoxic effects of zinc oxide in the dark, in pre-irradiated or simultaneously irradiated Chinese hamster ovary cells. Mutation Research 607(2 ): 215-24.
- Borgå K, Campbell L, Gabrielsen GW, Norstrom RJ, Muir DC, Fisk AT, 2006
- CPS&Q (Consumer Products Safety & Quality) formely known as ECB (European Chemicals Bureau). 2008. Classification and Labelling: Chemicals: Annex VI of Directive 67/548/EEC through the 31st ATP.
- Adams, L K., D. Y. Lyon, et al. (2006). "Comparative eco-toxicity of nanoscale TiO2, SiO2, and ZnO water suspensions." Water Research Article in Press.
- NLM (National Library of Medicine). 2012. PubMed online scientific bibliography data. http://www.pubmed.gov.
- European Chemicals Bureau 2004. ZINC OXIDE Part II – Human Health, CAS No: 1314-13-2, EINECS No: 215-222-5; Summary Risk Assessment Report Addendum to the Part II (Human Health) I-21020 Ispra (VA) Italy.
- FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration) 2006. Food Additive Status List. Downloaded from http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/%7Edms/opa-appa.html, Oct 16, 2006.
- FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration). 2008. EAFUS [Everything Added to Food]: A Food Additive Database. FDA Office of Food Safety and Applied Nutrition.
- FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration) 2006. Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition. Color Additive Status List. September 2006.
- CTFA (Cosmetic, Toiletry and Fragrance Association). 2006. International Cosmetic Ingredient Dictionary and Handbook, 11th Edition. Color Additive Information. Washington, DC.
- This ingredient’s score is higher if used in products that are inhalable (e.g., sprays, powders) because of respiratory concerns.
ABOUT THE SKIN DEEP® RATINGS
EWG provides information on personal care product ingredients from the published scientific literature, to supplement incomplete data available from companies and the government. The ratings below indicate the relative level of concern posed by exposure to the ingredients in this product - not the product itself - compared to other product formulations. The ratings reflect potential health hazards but do not account for the level of exposure or individual susceptibility, factors which determine actual health risks, if any. Learn more | Legal Disclaimer
ABOUT EWG VERIFIED™
Beyond providing Skin Deep® as an educational tool for consumers, EWG offers its EWG VERIFIED™ mark as a quick and easily identifiable way of conveying personal care products that meet EWG's strict health criteria. Before a company can use EWG VERIFIED™ on such products, the company must show that it fully discloses the products' ingredients on their labels or packaging, they do not contain EWG ingredients of concern, and are made with good manufacturing practices, among other criteria. Note that EWG receives licensing fees from all EWG VERIFIED™ member companies that help to support the important work we do. Learn more | Legal Disclaimer
