Wednesday, November 4, 2026Updated every morning at 5:30 AM ET
NanotechProgress
Get the brief

Nano zinc oxide and titanium dioxide sunscreen

Mineral sunscreens block UV light with zinc oxide or titanium dioxide, and many use these minerals as nanoparticles. The EU's consumer safety scientists found nano zinc oxide safe in sunscreens applied to the skin, at up to 25%.

European Commission, SCCS opinion summary (2012)
Sunscreen ingredient · how far it has got4/5Approved or on sale

How far from your life: You can get it now, though it may not be common yet.

Independently sourced

From lab to your life

Why it’s on step 4

  1. 1Lab discovery
  2. 2Working prototype
  3. 3Real-world testing
  4. 4Approved or on sale
  5. 5Everyday life

The rule

A regulator approved or cleared it where approval applies (the FDA, the EMA, a CE mark), or it is sold to the public or to customers beyond a trial.

The short version

What you need to know

Is it really nano?

Partly nano

Zinc oxide blocks UV at any size, and sunscreens use both nano and larger particles; the nano form is one choice among others.

European Commission, SCCS opinion summary (2012)
Where you’ll find it

In mineral sunscreens and some cosmetics.

European Commission, SCCS opinion summary (2012)
Who’s behind it

Many sunscreen brands

On the record

Every step, dated

Newest first. Company-reported means the only source so far is the company itself.

  1. Approval

    The European Commission approved zinc oxide, in nano and non-nano form, as a UV filter in cosmetics at up to 25%.

    CosmeticsDesign Europe, May 2016

Is it safe?

What regulators have said

Rulings and reviews from regulators and official scientific panels, oldest first.

  1. Safety

    The EU's Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety found zinc oxide nanoparticles safe in sunscreens on the skin at up to 25%; the particles did not appear to get through the skin. Sprays were not considered safe, because inhaled particles can inflame the lungs.

    European Commission, SCCS opinion summary (2012)
  2. Safety

    The European Commission added nano zinc oxide to the list of UV filters allowed in cosmetics, at up to 25%, after the committee's review.

    CosmeticsDesign Europe, May 2016

Sources

Where every line comes from

Each source with the passage, word for word, that backs what we wrote.

  1. European Commission, SCCS opinion summary (2012)The available evidence suggests that zinc oxide nanoparticles are safe to use as the UV filter
  2. CosmeticsDesign Europe, May 2016The annex concludes that both non-nano and nano-form zinc oxide can be used as UV filters

More in Everyday products