Sunscreen should protect our skin from the sun's rays. This requires reliable UV filters, which can be roughly divided into two groups: conventional, chemical UV filters and "newer", mineral UV filters. In this blog post, we take a closer look at mineral UV filters and explain: What exactly is a mineral UV filter and how does it work? Which types are there? And what is the advantage of sunscreens with mineral sun protection?
Contents
1. What is a mineral UV filter?
2. How do mineral UV filters work?
3. Which mineral UV filters are there?
4. What is the advantage of mineral UV filters?
What is a mineral UV filter?
Mineral UV filters are also known as inorganic or physical filters. They are based on minerals such as zinc oxide or titanium oxide. Inorganic refers to the chemical property of the UV filter: It is a chemical compound with oxygen (= zinc and oxygen become zinc oxide). This is processed into powder and used in cosmetics.
⇢ Here we also explain more about the difference between mineral and chemical UV filters.
How do mineral UV filters work?
When applied, mineral UV filters form a film on the skin, creating a physical barrier that protects the skin from the sun's rays. The pigments from the mineral UV filters reflect the sun's rays like a mirror, so that the UV filters - in contrast to conventional, chemical filters such as oxybenzone, octocrylene and octinoxate - do not have to penetrate the skin to be effective. The mineral particles remain on the skin and are not absorbed, which can lead to a certain whitening effect depending on the filter, as the particles are whitish. However, there are now new, innovative filter formulations that only cause a slight whitening effect.
Which mineral UV filters are there?
In cosmetics, and particularly in natural sunscreens, the most common UV filters are zinc oxide (INCI: Zinc Oxide) and titanium dioxide (INCI: Titanium Dioxide). Zinc oxide is characterized by a high broad-spectrum protection. This means that zinc oxide protects against both UVB and UVA radiation. Titanium dioxide, on the other hand, primarily protects against UVB and only partially against UVA radiation, which is why it is often found in combination with other UVA filters in sunscreens. In addition, discussions about titanium dioxide and its use in food or other care products are constantly recurring. However, no ban has been issued for its use in cosmetics so far. But we have opted for a purely mineral zinc oxide filter for our sun protection and against a combination of several mineral UV filters, so we do not use titanium dioxide in any of our products.
Good to know: UVB rays are short-wave and responsible for nasty sunburn. UVA rays, on the other hand, are long-wave and mainly responsible for skin aging. When choosing your sunscreen, make sure it has sufficient broad-spectrum protection, especially for your baby, as young skin has very little natural protection.
What is the advantage of mineral UV filters?
Due to their mode of action, mineral UV filters have a very clear advantage over chemical ones: They do not penetrate the skin cells and interact less with the skin. While the chemical filter has to ensure reduced absorption of UV radiation at the cells in the skin, the mineral filter acts like a protective shield - without initiating chemical or hormonal processes in the deeper skin cells. As a result, they very rarely trigger allergic skin reactions. Another advantage is that they do not require any activation time and protect against the sun's rays immediately after application. Although users may notice a slight whitening effect with some sunscreens, the formulations have now been so refined that there are now also mineral sunscreens without the whitening effect. In addition, it can also have a positive effect if you can clearly see where you have already applied cream.
For the environment, mineral sunscreens also offer advantages, as they are often colloquially referred to as "reef-friendly" or "coral-friendly". The terms refer to the absence of chemical UV filters in the sunscreen such as octocrylene, oxybenzone and octinoxate. These can be harmful to coral reefs because they are not or poorly biodegradable and can lead to so-called "coral bleaching". They can also penetrate the hormonal system of animals and thus harm them.
Our sunscreen is compliant with the Hawaii Reef Act, which means you can use it well on beach holidays. In some countries like Australia, the use of conventional sunscreens with the aforementioned chemical UV filters has even been banned - so it's high time to switch to a mineral sunscreen like ours. ☀️
O U R E X P E R T
Dr. med Michaela Hagemann I boep founder, doctor & 3-time mom
