Summer is just around
the corner with many wonderful sunny days ahead. It's time to think about
protecting our skin from the damage that sun can do to it. Sunscreen, also
commonly known as sun tan lotion, sunblock or sun cream, is a product that
absorbs or reflects some of the sun's ultraviolet (UV) radiation.
Sunscreen is
sold in the form of a lotion, gel or spray. Sunscreens usually contain both
organic chemical compounds and inorganic compounds. Organic compounds such as
for example cinoxate or p-methoxycinnamate absorb UV light. Inorganic particles
(such as titanium dioxide, zinc oxide, or a combination of both) reflect,
scatter, and absorb UV light. Sunscreens can be classified into physical
sunscreens and chemical sunscreens. The first reflect the sunlight, whereas the
other absorb the UV light. Since both UVA and UVB rays are harmful, you need
protection from both types of sun rays. The best sunscreens are classified as
broad spectrum sunscreen.
Watch this video to learn more about how sunscreen works:
Zinc Oxide (ZnO) is an
oxide of zinc and it has the form of a white powder. It is commonly used in sunscreens due to its ability to block the entire UVA and UVB spectrum
by reflecting and scattering light. Zinc Oxide is also water resistant. It is
also used in cosmetics as a colorant, for example as a whitening agent and it
allows foundations to be different shades. .
At some point there
was a controversy about nano-sized Zinc Oxide, but according to scientists the
risk to humans is negligible. To read more on this research check out:
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