Titanium dioxide – is it harmful in sunscreen?

Definitely not , says the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR). Titanium dioxide is not absorbed through the skin. We also go a step further and do not use titanium dioxide in nanoparticle size, as these can be absorbed through the breath (e.g. in sunscreen sprays). Click here for the BfR statement.

The North Rhine-Westphalia Consumer Advice Center also explicitly recommends using sunscreen with titanium dioxide and zinc oxide : "If you have to use sunscreen because other protective measures such as skin-covering clothing are not possible, we recommend using sunscreen with natural cosmetics seals such as NATRUE or BDIH/COSMOS . Only mineral filters such as titanium dioxide (INCI name for titanium dioxide) or zinc oxide (INCI name for zinc oxide) are permitted in these products. These are chemically stable , so you can continue to use the sunscreen as long as it does not smell or change its consistency. If you want to avoid deliberately produced nanoparticles, make sure that the word "nano" does not appear in the list of ingredients, so that it only says titanium dioxide, for example, and not titanium dioxide nano."

Why do we use the combination of zinc oxide and titanium dioxide?

We use the combination of zinc oxide and titanium dioxide because this allows us to achieve the highest UV-A and UV-B protection . This is because zinc oxide is more effective against UV-A radiation and titanium dioxide is more effective against UV-B radiation. By combining the two substances, we can achieve a high SPF and at the same time offer effective protection against both types of radiation. How do we know this ?