Zinc oxide is an odorless, white powder that is naturally occurring in the mineral zincite. Because of its insolubility in water, zinc oxide has a number of practical uses and is commonly found in ceramics, pigments, foods, and first-aid tapes.

Our Stewardship Model guides us to select ingredients which have been processed in a manner that supports our philosophy of human and environmental health.

Zinc metal is heated to a molten state and then superheated to create a pure zinc vapor which leaves other impurities behind. The zinc vapor is directed into a special reactor where it readily reacts with oxygen in the air in a combustion reaction to form the zinc oxide powder. The powder is collected and screened for size and removal of any additional impurities.

Sunscreens are regulated by the Food and Drug Administration and while there are many active ingredients that are recognized by FDA for use in sunscreen6, there are very few that meet Tom’s Stewardship Model standards as many are synthetic derivatives of petroleum-based ingredients.

Skin protectants are also regulated by the Food and Drug Administration and while there are many other ingredients recognized as skin protectants, many of the commonly used alternatives like dimethicone, mineral oil, and white petrolatum don’t meet Tom’s Stewardship Model standards as they are synthesized and/or derivatives of petroleum-based ingredients.

In deodorants there are other ingredients that can help reduce odor-causing bacteria , such as sodium bicarbonate and hops. We use hops for this purpose in some of our long lasting deodorants. Additionally there are synthetic options, such as triclosan, but these would not meet our stewardship model.

Zinc Oxide is recognized as safe and effective by the Food And Drug Administration for its stated uses in their respective levels.7

Tom’s of Maine recognizes that no two people are alike, and even with naturally derived ingredients, some individuals may develop an allergic reaction that is unique to them. As with any product, be sure to discontinue use if you experience discomfort or other indications that the product may not be appropriate for your individual body chemistry.

1 Joey Green (2004). "The Apothecary: Elixers, Remedies, and Tonics". Joey Green's Incredible Country Store: Potions, Notions and Elixirs of the Past--and How to Make Them Today (1 ed.). Rodale Books. p. 356. ISBN 978-1-57954-848-3.
2 S. Atmaca, K. Gül, R. Çiçek. The effect of zinc on microbial growth. Turk. J. Med. Sci., 28 (1998), pp. 595-597
3 W. Jiang, H. Mashayekhi, B. XingBacterial toxicity comparison between nano- and micro-scaled oxide particles . Environ. Pollut., 157 (2009), pp. 1619-1625
4 M. Li, L. Zhu, D. Lin Toxicity of ZnO nanoparticles to Escherichia coli: mechanism and the influence of medium components Environ. Sci. Technol., 45 (2011), pp. 1977-1983
5 Yousef, J., In Vitro Antibacterial Activity and Minimum Inhibitory Concentration of Zinc Oxide and Nano-particle Zinc oxide Against Pathogenic Strains, Journal of Health Sciences 2012, 2(4): 38-42
6 21 CFR 352.10
7 21 CFR 182.5991 and 21 CFR 182.8991