An ingredient highlight of Zinc Oxide in sunscreen featuring Avya Advanced Ayurveda Skincare’s Day Moisturizer SPF 20.
In this blog post, I’ll be doing an ingredient highlight on zinc oxide in sunscreen and why skincare brands use it for their product formulations. I will also offer positive alternatives to use the sun’s power to incorporate into your everyday life. My personal favorite is Sun water.
History on Sunscreen
For a long time, Oxybenzone was used in sunscreens, but upon finding out its devastating effects on coral reefs and the population of zebrafish, it was quickly taken off the market. As soon as just a few years ago, on January 21, 2021, the state of Hawaii passed a law where sunscreens that contained Oxybenzone and or Octinoxate were not allowed to be sold or distributed on the island at all.
The effects on the zebrafish population are now used as a way to predict future hazards to aquatic ecosystems. With this knowledge, you would want to know what your options are for a reef-safe sunscreen. Zinc oxide in sunscreen falls in the reef-safe category. I have another sunscreen blog post featuring Glow Recipe which is also reef safe. You can check that out here: Glow Recipe
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The Sun and Your Skin
What is happening to your skin when the sun touches it? The sun emits radiation that travels to Earth where it is absorbed by the atmosphere – except for the radiation which is not. Some of the rays that make it through the atmosphere are radiation.
These are ultraviolet rays better known as UV rays. These rays are a source of both nourishment and damage to human skin. Proteins in our skin convert rays into vitamin D3, essential for bone and heart health, but the rays also burn us. The damage from the sun can penetrate through our many layers of skin and show up years down the road unexpectedly.
If you look at the chart on the right, you will see the different types of sunlight rays that can be absorbed and how deep the rays can go. As our skin goes through its cycle of cellular turnover, the next layer of new skin appears on our epidermis (the top layer of our skin). The damage we were unable to see before then shows itself and we have to correct it.
How does Zinc Oxide work?
Zinc Oxide sits on top of your skin and as the sun hits the surface, the stratum corneum, it deflects the light ultraviolet rays. It also gives you a broad spectrum of protection from UVB all the way through UV-A1. This means that your skin is getting the best protection possible! As a chemical, Zinc Oxide is also very stable, so it won’t break down in the bottle or on your skin as easily as other comparable ingredients. This is another great reason to find sunscreen with zinc oxide in it.
Now that you have a better picture of what Zinc Oxide is and how it works, I’ll give you a real-life product example and make suggestions on how to use it.
Product Recommendation for Zinc Oxide in Sunscreen
Day Moisturizer SPF 20
Avya Advanced Ayurveda Skincare has a product called Day Moisturizer SPF 20. Right now it is only available in their Morning Refresh Skincare Set. The set also includes a gentle cleanser. If you want a simple morning routine, this is a great option. If you are in a rush in the morning, let’s be honest, a lot of us are, focus on cleaning your face.
You can pat your face dry, but in my professional experience, I would leave it slightly damp. This helps to avoid (TEWL) trans epidermal water loss which takes the moisture out of your skin. After you pat your face dry, apply your day moisturizer. This moisturizer is a sunscreen that has the zinc oxide in it.
Pro tips:
At the end of a professional facial, I would apply sunscreen. A lot of my clients would forget to put sunscreen on these important parts of their upper body. Don’t forget your ears, neck, and chest!
Key Ingredients
- Hydrating Snow Mushroom:
This helps to enhance the elasticity of your skin and soothe tired skin through intense hydration. It also helps to fight inflammation and hyperpigmentation which is great for those suffering from acne and acne scars.
- Hyaluronic Acid:
Hyaluronic Acid is known for its amazing chemical properties. For example, a quarter teaspoon of HA can hold 1 1/2 gallons of water! It also makes your skin more flexible, helps smooth out fine lines and wrinkles as well as reduces scarring.
- Shea Butter:
Shea Butter is great for helping your skin retain moisture. It’s loaded with antioxidants and it has anti-inflammatory properties as well.
- Niacinamide:
This ingredient has multiple functions. It minimizes the appearance of enlarged pores, improves uneven skin tone, and helps with fine lines and wrinkles.
Witchy Tip:
How to incorporate the sun with your spirituality
The sun is connected to our Solar Plexus Chakra, also known as the Manipura. The Solar Plexus Chakra is associated with our ability to be confident, assertive, and make to make decisions from a place of wisdom. If we think about this concept for a minute, we are already making a wise choice to wear sunscreen. See how easy that is? Sunscreen is the last product you put on your face before you leave your house, which means you most likely have finished the rest of your skincare routine.
Keeping to a routine that makes you feel better about how you look, changes your perspective on yourself and how you take on your day. Starting your day with confidence builds a foundation in your confidence and trust in yourself to be assertive in your interactions with people and projects.
Sun Water
The moon gets so much attention when talking about water and recharging your crystals. Try Sun Water. It’s just as easy to make as Moon Water. Water from a plastic water bottles that have been in the sun is known to have harmful effects on your body, so I would advise against using plastic. If you have no other choice, please do not drink it, you can water your plants with it instead.
Ingredients:
- Water (bottled, filtered, or tap if safe to use)
- Sunshine
- A glass, or container to put water in
- Paper
- Pencil or ink and quill
Ritual
- Begin on a Sunday (*1)
- Fill your container with your preferred water
- You can choose to go outside for direct sunlight or find a window sill
- You can speak your intentions into the water or write them down on a piece of paper. (*4)
- It’s best if your water is in the sun for at least an hour, but if you forget and leave it out (life happens) you will be fine. (*5)
*1 Sunday is named after Sol, a Norse goddess who carried the sun across the sky
*4 The size doesn’t matter too much, because you can always fold or tear it to the size you need to fit under your jar.
*5 For safety reasons make sure that the sun will not reflect through the glass onto a flammable object.
Set Your Intentions
Sunrise: New beginnings, wealth, manifestation, abundance, fertility
Mid-day: Charging, personal power, creativity, vitality, courage
Sunset: Clearing, elimination, banishing, binding
Sun Water Uses
Sun water is very powerful, so a little will go a long way.
- You can add some to your everyday drinking water for a little boost.
- You can bless your crystals with it, just a sprinkle
- You can bless your home, if you live in an apartment, bless the outside of your entry
- Add it to your bathwater and make it a part of a self-empowerment bath ritual.
- For showers, you can pour some water over you in a final rinse for a blessing to start or end your day
- If a spell or ritual requires sun water, you can use it for this as well
Charity
Avya Advanced Ayurveda Skincare gives back a portion of its proceeds to the Austin Justice Coalition and Girls Write Now. You can check out those charities here:
*I do not earn any commissions if you choose to donate to these non-profit charities
My Final Thoughts
As a licensed esthetician, I spend my time deep diving into product ingredients and researching their benefits to share with you. Using a sunscreen with zinc oxide in it is a great way to protect yourself and the environment. This Day Moisturizer with SPF 20 is a great option for all skin types, but especially those who suffer from acne.
I would love to hear your thoughts on Zinc Oxide or any of the key ingredients I mentioned here in this blog post.
If you would like to purchase the Day Moisturizer SPF 20 from Avya Advanced Ayurveda Skincare, you can click or tap my affiliate link here. I appreciate you supporting the blog!
The images in this blog post belong to Canva and Avya Advanced Ayurveda Skincare and have been used with permission by those sources.
Disclaimer:
The views expressed on this site are the author’s own and are provided for informational purposes only. The author makes no warranties about the suitability of any product or treatment referenced or reviewed here for any person other than herself and any reliance placed on these reviews or references by you is done so solely at your own risk. Nothing on this site shall be construed as providing dermatological, medical, or other such advice and you are always advised to see the advice of a doctor, dermatologist, or suitable professional should you have any such concerns.
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