Coated Zinc Oxide refers to Zinc Oxide that has been coated with an inert substance, most commonly triethoxycaprylylsilane, to make it easier to mix with the other ingredients and to (allegedly) prevent the development of free radicals.
At Suntribe we decided to only use uncoated pharmaceutical grade Zinc Oxide in our products for the following reasons:
– Triethoxycaprylylsilane and other coatings are not in alignment with our ingredient standards because they are synthetic and not purely natural ingredients. We therefore use uncoated Zinc Oxide which comes closest to the ingredient as it can be found in nature.
– Instead of using coated Zinc Oxide as a shortcut to a more homogeneous formula, we have finetuned our production process so that we can effectively mix the uncoated Zinc Oxide with the other ingredients.
– The small amount of free radicals generated by Zinc Oxide can even be contained with the body’s own antioxidants, and since we do not use nanoparticles the Zinc Oxide particles in our sunscreens sits on the outer dead layer of the skin where free radicals can not damage any living cells as confirmed by this study conducted by the Australian government.
– Coatings are not sufficiently effective in decreasing the development of free radicals, in this study for example the authors found that the photoreactivity was extremely low for both uncoated and coated Zinc Oxide (whereas it was higher for both coated and uncoated Titanium Dioxide).
– Uncoated Zinc Oxide has been safely used in topical skin care products such as calamine lotion and diaper rash cream for centuries. We add ingredients such as Coconut Oil and Vitamin E to our formulas which also help to absorb any free radicals should they develop, and not be absorbed by the skin’s own antioxidants already.
Now that we know it’s safe, let’s look at which benefits uncoated Zinc Oxide offers for your skin and health!