Mineral Sunscreen SPF 50+

Zinc oxide is a simple, well-tolerated skin mineral. These are the questions our naturopaths ask in store before suggesting it over another barrier cream or sunscreen.

A good fit if

• You want a simple physical barrier for nappy rash, chafing or mildly irritated skin
• You prefer a mineral sunscreen's physical filter to a chemical one
• You want to try a zinc oxide and glycine cream at the very first tingle of a cold sore
• You've been reading about the zinc oxide eye health trial and want to understand what it actually tested

Check with us first if

• You're relying on a zinc oxide sunscreen as your only sun protection. None of the trials we've reviewed measured how well it actually blocks the sun, which is why the label also has to tell you to cover up.
• You're looking at a high-dose eye health formula that pairs zinc oxide with copper. The trial dose was 80 mg, well above the 50 mg an Australian listed medicine may recommend, and the copper is there for a reason.
• A product also lists a zinc oxide dose to swallow and you already take zinc elsewhere. It all counts towards one daily total.
• You'd be using it on broken, infected or badly irritated skin rather than healthy skin.
• You're pregnant or breastfeeding and the product is meant to be swallowed rather than applied.
• You take prescription medicines and are thinking about a zinc oxide product to swallow. Check with your doctor, pharmacist or our naturopaths before starting.

• Zinc oxide barrier or nappy cream. Best known for: The everyday use: a thick paste that protects irritated skin or the nappy area. Absorption: It stays on the surface and isn't meant to be absorbed. Typical use: Applied generously and reapplied often. In one small trial it cleared nappy rash completely in about two-thirds of babies within a week.
• Mineral (zinc oxide) sunscreen. Best known for: A physical UV filter, often chosen for sensitive skin. Absorption: It sits on the skin's surface rather than sinking in. Typical use: By Australian law it must carry warnings to avoid long periods in the sun and to also wear a hat and protective clothing.
• Zinc oxide and glycine cold sore cream. Best known for: The specific formula used in the one trial on cold sores. Absorption: Used locally, on the lip. Not swallowed. Typical use: Applied from the first tingle. The trial found it worked best when started within 24 hours.
• Oral zinc oxide. Best known for: Rare on Australian shelves. It's the zinc source used with copper in the major eye-health trial. Absorption: About 50 per cent is absorbed, the lowest of the common zinc forms. Typical use: The same 50 mg limit and zinc warning as any other zinc taken internally. Not something we stock.

Reference values. The NHMRC Recommended Dietary Intake for zinc is 14 mg a day for men 19 and over and 8 mg for women, rising to 11 mg in pregnancy and 12 mg while breastfeeding. This applies to zinc from any source, including a zinc oxide product you swallow. You'll find every age group on our zinc page.

Typical supplemental range. In a cream or sunscreen, zinc oxide isn't measured in milligrams the way a tablet is. When it's taken by mouth, the same rule applies as for every other zinc form: no more than 50 mg of elemental zinc (the actual zinc) a day, with a required warning once a label's daily dose goes over 25 mg. Unlike zinc sulfate, the Australian rules don't set a maximum strength for zinc oxide used on skin.

Upper level. The NHMRC Upper Level for adults is 40 mg a day from food, water and every supplement combined, and it only applies to zinc you swallow. It's there to protect how your body handles copper, and it has nothing to do with a cream on your skin.

Worth knowing. A zinc oxide sunscreen or barrier cream doesn't count towards these figures at all, since none of it is meant to be swallowed. What you need depends on your age, diet and health, so talk to one of our naturopaths.

Food first, where the diet allows it.

• No food supplies zinc as oxide, since the compound's manufactured. Food zinc comes bound to proteins, and oysters are by far the densest source: oysters: about 32 mg per 85 g
• Beef, roasted: about 3.8 mg per 85 g
• Blue crab, cooked: about 3.2 mg per 85 g
• Rolled oats, cooked: about 2.3 mg per cup. Plant foods also carry phytate, which binds zinc and cuts how much you absorb
• Pumpkin seeds, roasted: about 2.2 mg per 28 g

If any of these sound like you, talk to one of our naturopaths or your doctor before you start.

• Relying on a zinc oxide sunscreen as your only sun protection. No trial we found tested how well it blocks the sun.
• High-dose eye-health formulas that pair zinc oxide with copper. The trial dose, 80 mg, is above the 50 mg Australian limit for a listed medicine.
• Getting zinc from other sources too. Zinc oxide taken internally counts towards the same daily total as any tablet or lozenge.
• Broken, infected or badly irritated skin. See a doctor or pharmacist rather than relying on a barrier cream.
• Pregnancy and breastfeeding, if the product is meant to be swallowed rather than put on the skin.
• Total intake above the NHMRC Upper Level: 40 mg a day for adults, from food, water and every supplement combined.
• If you take prescription medicines and are thinking about a zinc oxide product you swallow, check with your doctor, pharmacist or our naturopaths first.