Posts Tagged ‘Non-nano Zinc Oxide’

Nine Naturals Ingredient Story: Non-Nano Zinc Oxide

non-nano zinc_oxide

At Nine Naturals, we’re on a mission to make beauty simple, smart and safe for moms and moms-to-be. Integral to that is understanding our ingredients’ science and benefits. Today’s Nine Naturals Ingredient Story about Non-Nano Zinc Oxide is part of on ongoing series featuring the natural ingredients behind our high performance beauty products.

While zinc oxide may conjure images of white-nosed lifeguards from another era, it’s actually an incredibly versatile and widely used ingredient to this day. In the beauty world, there has been a recent resurgence in the use of zinc oxide. It has proven both safer and more effective than many alternatives making it an ideal ingredient for sunscreens, deodorants and a host of other products.

The Science & Extraction of Zinc Oxide

Zinc oxide is a highly stable substance that occurs naturally as the mineral zincite. Most commercial zinc oxide is produced through a roasting process that converts more commonly found zinc minerals into zinc oxide. This process works by boiling the zinc and allowing it to mix with oxygen in the air to form zinc oxide powder.

Zinc oxide doesn’t significantly dissolve in water, break down in sunlight, or react with skin – all of which contribute to its overall safety. Zinc oxide has the ability to reflect light away from your skin, which makes it an effective ingredient in sunscreens. It also has antibacterial and astringent (skin tightening) properties and is used in baby diaper rash creams and deodorants for these reasons.

Non-Nano Zinc Oxide’s Benefits for Sun and Odor Protection

Non-nano zinc oxide ensures that you get all the benefits of zinc oxide in the safest form possible. The terms “nano” and “non-nano” refer to the particle size of the ingredient. Nanoparticle sized ingredients have the potential to be absorbed through the skin at a much higher rate than non-nanoparticle sized ingredients. In contrast, “non-nano” particles sit on top of the skin but are not small enough to be absorbed or passed through the skin. Preliminary scientific research has shown that many types of nanoparticles can be toxic to human tissue and cell cultures, can penetrate cell walls, including organ tissues, and are known to be highly reactive. Given the uncertainty regarding the safety of nanoparticle sized ingredients, expecting mothers should avoid them.

In sunscreens non-nano zinc oxide is particularly beneficial because it provides broad-spectrum protection, blocking both UVA and UVB rays and is safer than chemical alternatives like oxybenzone. Non-nano zinc oxide is also a natural and pregnancy safe odor solution and thus scores double points for usefulness. In both these cases though, it’s the non-nano property that ensures the zinc oxide stays on the surface of the skin providing safer and longer lasting protection.

Why Nine Naturals Loves Non-Nano Zinc Oxide

Nine Naturals is committed to making products that are both pregnancy-safe and effective. Non-nano zinc oxide checks both boxes, which is why we’ve made it the star ingredient in both our new sunscreen and deodorant. We hold all of our ingredients to this high standard, and you can learn more about the others by checking out our ingredient glossary.

Body Odor Causes and Natural Remedies

It happens to all of us at some point: the unfortunate realization that in this moment we kind of stink. As we dug into the root causes behind body odor, we realized that it’s quite a misunderstood process. Below is some information to demystify body odor and suggestions about how to safely and effectively prevent it.

What causes body odor?

Contrary to popular belief sweat itself isn’t smelly. Body odor is actually driven by bacteria on your skin. These bacteria break down your natural oils causing odors – particularly around the armpits where most of the oils are produced. So while wetness caused by sweating might help bacteria grow, it’s not responsible for the odor. This means the solution isn’t to stop sweating, but rather to find a hygiene routine that works for your body.

Body odor is to some extent genetic – in fact, identical twins will have similar smells even when living apart – but it by no means remains constant throughout a person’s life. Diet can also be a major factor in determining smell. Ingredients like garlic, curry and caffeine, as well as the balance of meat and vegetables a person consumes, have all been linked to changes in body odor.

Body odor and pregnancy

Many pregnant women report an increase in body odor, a heightened sense of smell (which can give the impression of increased body odor), or often both. Science hasn’t come up with an explanation for this, but it‘s quite common and nothing to be ashamed of! There are some theories as to why this occurs, including changes in hormone levels, diet or body temperature, all of which are perfectly natural parts of pregnancy. If you need to change your beauty routine to accommodate new smells though, it’s important to remember to do so safely. Not all odor care products are created equal!

Antiperspirant vs Deodorant

One of the biggest sources of confusion for consumers is whether to buy antiperspirant or deodorant. Put simply, antiperspirant prevents sweating while deodorant addresses smell.

It’s often advised that pregnant women avoid antiperspirant if possible. Antiperspirants contain aluminum compounds, which haven’t been proven safe for developing babies. The cautious route is to opt for a pregnancy safe, all-natural deodorant.

Sweat is our natural method for controlling body temperature. It’s a completely normal process; by choosing the right deodorant, you can embrace sweat as well as odor protection.

A Safe and Natural Solution

A great first step to safely addressing body odor is finding a deodorant that is safe for pregnancy. This means choosing a product that is aluminum-free, phthalate-free, and paraben-free, among other things. Nine Naturals’ pregnancy safe deodorant meets these requirements; it is made with natural, organic ingredients and uses a non-nano zinc oxide formulation to prevent odor.

We specifically selected zinc oxide for its natural qualities and effectiveness in controlling the bacteria that cause odor. It’s also a great ingredient for odor protection because it’s an astringent that tightens the skin and reduces oil secretion. Non-nano zinc oxide sits on the surface of the skin and does not get absorbed into the bloodstream, which makes it both a safe and long lasting choice.

9 Important Sun (and Sunscreen!) Safety Tips From Nine Naturals

Sun Protection

Spring is finally here and summer is just around the corner. It’s time for bright sunshine and the fun outdoors. This means it’s also time to find a good sunscreen to protect ourselves so we can enjoy that sun.

Safe sun protection is especially important for pregnant women. Due to hormonal changes that occur during pregnancy, a woman’s skin becomes extremely sensitive to the sun. Further - many ingredients in sunscreen may be harmful to pregnant women or babies; choosing the right kind of sun protection is critical.

We’ve put together nine tips to help you understand your sunscreen and choose the best one for you and your family:

  1. Select a sunscreen with at least SPF 30. SPF stands for Sun Protection Factor and measures how much of the sun’s UVB radiation - the kind that causes sunburns – is blocked by your sunscreen. The higher the SPF the longer you can stay in the sun.
  2. Prioritize broad-spectrum protection. Though a high SPF value indicates that burn-causing UVB rays are being blocked, it says nothing about your protection from UVA radiation, which is the kind associated with skin cancer and aging. A “broad-spectrum” label in the United States means that at least 90% of harmful UVA rays are blocked, thereby mitigating burning and other risks.
  3. Avoid oxybenzone-based sunscreens. High levels of oxybenzone in the body were associated with low birth weights in a recent study. Oxybenzone can be absorbed through the skin and is present in about 80% of sunscreens on the market so it’s important to keep an eye out for this ingredient.
  4. Opt for zinc-oxide suncreens. Zinc oxide is a physical sun blocker that protects you by coating the surface of your skin and reflecting away light. Unlike chemical sun blockers, these molecules aren’t absorbed through the skin, which makes them a safer choice. Titanium dioxide is another common physical sun blocker, however it doesn’t appear to work nearly as well as zinc oxide.
  5. Beware of nano-particles. Nano particles are so ultrafine that they can enter into your skin. You’ll find nano particles in some newer zinc or titanium sunscreen formulations, particularly sprays. Nano particles are mostly untested and thus it’s very important for pregnant women and all parents to look for “non-nano” particles – like “non-nano zinc oxide.”
  6. Moderate exposure to Vitamin A. While some Vitamin A is essential for a healthy pregnancy you should get enough from your diet and supplements. Excessive Vitamin A is associated with birth defects and it can contribute to skin damage so pregnant women should be cautious. A very common A Vitamin in sunscreen is retinyl palmitate, but watch for the words retinol or retinoic acid on ingredients lists as well in order to minimize exposure. Plus they’re also found in other skin care products such as acne medications, so be on the look out!
  7. Apply rules for other cosmetics to sunscreen. While we’ve covered smart sunscreen shopping above, don’t forget that general cosmetics concerns apply to sunscreen as well. For instance watch out for parabens, phthalates and other such things that you might be trying to more widely avoid.
  8. Apply efficiently & amply. A number of studies have shown that people typically apply only 20-50% of the sunscreen the FDA uses when determining if a product works. This means that most people aren’t getting the protection they need or are counting on! It’s also just as important to reapply every hour or two to maintain that protection.
  9. Commit to brands that create simple, smart and safe products. We love Nine Naturals’ new Natural Sunscreen SPF 32: It’s an all-natural, non-nano zinc oxide sunscreen, which means that you don’t have to worry about chemical sun blockers like oxybenzone or nano particles entering your blood stream. Like all of our products, our pregnancy sunscreen is free from sulfates, parabens, phthalates, petrochemicals, DEA, synthetic fragrances and artificial preservatives. It’s also formulated with luxurious shea butter and jojoba seed oil to help moisturize you skin. Best part of all, our natural sunscreen is safe for the entire family (though you may be reluctant to share!).

Want more information? Read our article on Natural Sun Protection During Pregnancy.