Product and ingredient reference
PCA Skin Sheer Tint Broad Spectrum SPF 45
PCA Skin Sheer Tint Broad Spectrum SPF 45 PCA Skin Sheer Tint Broad Spectrum SPF 45 ingredients explained: Titanium Dioxide (7.6%), Zinc Oxide (8.0%), Alumina, Butyloctyl Salicylate, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Caprylyl Glycol, Dimethicone, Dimethicone/PEG-10/15 Cr
PCA Skin Sheer Tint Broad Spectrum SPF 45 PCA Skin Sheer Tint Broad Spectrum SPF 45 ingredients explained: Titanium Dioxide (7.6%), Zinc Oxide (8.0%), Alumina, Butyloctyl Salicylate, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Caprylyl Glycol, Dimethicone, Dimethicone/PEG-10/15 Crosspolymer, Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Ethylhexylglycerin, Hexylene Glycol, Hydrogen Dimethicone, Iron Oxides, Isododecane, Jojoba Esters, Methyl Methacrylate/Glycol Dimethacrylate Crosspolymer, Octyldodecanol, PEG-9 Polydimethylsiloxyethyl Dimethicone, Phenoxyethanol, Polyglyceryl-3 Polydimethylsiloxyethyl Dimethicone, Polymethylsilsesquioxane, Sodium Chloride, Triethoxycaprylylsilane, Water/Aqua/Eau Show all ingredients by function Titanium Dioxide (7.6%) sunscreen, colorant goodie Zinc Oxide (8.0%) sunscreen 0, 1 Alumina viscosity controlling, abrasive/scrub Butyloctyl Salicylate solvent C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate emollient, antimicrobial/antibacterial Caprylyl Glycol moisturizer/humectant, emollient Dimethicone emollient Dimethicone/PEG-10/15 Crosspolymer emulsifying Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer viscosity controlling Ethylhexylglycerin preservative Hexylene Glycol solvent, emulsifying, perfuming, surfactant/cleansing 0-1, 0-2 Hydrogen Dimethicone Iron Oxides colorant 0, 0 Isododecane emollient, solvent Jojoba Esters soothing, emollient, moisturizer/humectant Methyl Methacrylate/Glycol Dimethacrylate Crosspolymer Octyldodecanol emollient, perfuming PEG-9 Polydimethylsiloxyethyl Dimethicone Phenoxyethanol Polyglyceryl-3 Polydimethylsiloxyethyl Dimethicone Polymethylsilsesquioxane Sodium Chloride Triethoxycaprylylsilane Water/Aqua/Eau Titanium Dioxide is one of the two members of the elite sunscreen group called physical sunscreens (or inorganic sunscreens if you’re a science geek and want to be precise). Traditionally, UV-filters are categorized as either chemical or physical. The big difference is supposed to be that chemical agents absorb UV-light while physical agents reflect it like a bunch of mini umbrellas on top of the skin. While this categorization is easy and logical it turns out it's not true. A recent, 2016 study shows that inorganic sunscreens work mostly by absorption, just like chemical filters, and only a little bit by reflection (they do reflect the light in the visible spectrum, but mostly absorb in the UV spectrum). Expand to read more Anyway, it doesn't matter if it reflects or absorbs, Titanium Dioxide is a pretty awesome sunscreen agent for two main reasons: it gives a nice broad spectrum coverage and it's highly stable. Its protection is very good between 290 - 350 nm (UVB and UVA II range), and less good at 350-400 nm (UVA I) range. Regular sized Titanium Dioxide also has a great safety profile, it's non-irritating and is pretty much free from any health concerns (like estrogenic effect worries with some chemical filters). The disadvantage of Titanium Dioxide is that it's not cosmetically elegant, meaning it's a white, "unspreadable" mess. Sunscreens containing Titanium Dioxide are often hard to spread on the skin and they leave a disturbing whitish tint. The cosmetic industry is, of course, really trying to solve this problem and the best solution so far is using nanoparticles. The itsy-bitsy Nano-sized particles improve both spreadability and reduce the whitish tint a lot, but unfortunately, it also introduces new health concerns. The main concern with nanoparticles is that they are so tiny that they are absorbed into the skin more than we want them (ideally sunscreen should remain on the surface of the skin). Once absorbed they might form unwanted complexes with proteins and they might promote the formation of evil free radicals. But do not panic, these are concerns under investigation. A 2009 review article about the safety of nanoparticles summarizes this, "to date, in-vivo and in-vitro studies have not demonstrated percutaneous penetration of nanosized particles in titanium dioxide and zinc oxide sunscreens". The English translation is, so far it looks like sunscreens with nanoparticles do stay on the surface of the skin where they should be. All in all, Titanium Dioxide is a famous sunscreen agent and for good reason, it gives broad spectrum UV protection (best at UVB and UVA II), it's highly stable, and it has a good safety profile. It's definitely one of the best UV-filter agents we have today, especially in the US where new-generation Tinosorb filters are not (yet) approved. When it comes to sunscreen agents, Zinc Oxide is pretty much in a league of its own. It's a physical (or inorganic) sunscreen that has a lot in common with fellow inorgan what‑it‑does sunscreen | colorant irritancy, com. viscosity controlling | abrasive/scrub emollient | antimicrobial/antibacterial moisturizer/humectant | emollient solvent | emulsifying | perfuming | surfactant/cleansing emollient | solvent soothing | emollient | moisturizer/humectant emollient | perfuming