Why is sunscreen white?
With the arrival of summer, sunscreen has become a must-have for people's daily skin care. However, many consumers may be wondering: Why are most sunscreens white? This article will answer this question for you from three aspects: ingredients, physical principles and market trends, and attaches data on popular sunscreen topics in the past 10 days.
1. Ingredients and colors of sunscreen

The color of sunscreen is mainly related to its ingredients. Common sunscreens are divided intoPhysical sunscreenandchemical sunscreenTwo types:
| Type | Main ingredients | color reason |
|---|---|---|
| Physical sunscreen | Zinc oxide, titanium dioxide | These minerals themselves are white powders that form a white protective layer after application |
| chemical sunscreen | Avobenzone, octocrylene, etc. | Usually transparent or milky white, but it appears white due to the need to add emulsifiers |
2. Physical Principles: Why is white more effective?
The color white was not chosen by chance, but based on optical principles:
1.Reflect UV: Physical sunscreen works by reflecting and scattering ultraviolet rays, white color maximizes reflection of all wavelengths of light.
2.visual indication: White color helps users apply evenly, ensuring no areas are missed.
3.Stability: White pigments are generally more stable and less likely to react with other ingredients.
3. Hot topics about sun protection in the past 10 days
According to data monitoring across the entire network, the following are the sun protection-related topics that have attracted the most attention recently:
| Ranking | topic | amount of discussion | Hot trends |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Do I need to reapply sunscreen? | 1,200,000+ | rise |
| 2 | Physical sunscreen vs chemical sunscreen | 980,000+ | stable |
| 3 | Can sunscreen cause vitamin D deficiency? | 750,000+ | rise |
| 4 | Children’s sunscreen product selection | 680,000+ | New to the list |
| 5 | The problem of white residue in sunscreen | 550,000+ | fall |
4. Market development trends
In recent years, sunscreen products have shown the following new trends:
1.Transparent sunscreen technology: Many brands are developing physical sunscreen products without white residue.
2.All in one: Sunscreen products with both isolation and polishing functions are growing rapidly.
3.Environmentally friendly formula: Sunscreen ingredients that are friendly to marine life are attracting attention.
5. Consumer FAQs
Q: Why do some sunscreens still leave white residue after application?
A: This is usually related to the particle size of the physical sunscreen (zinc oxide/titanium dioxide). Nano-sized particles can reduce the white phenomenon, but may affect the protective effect.
Q: Can I buy completely transparent sunscreen?
A: Pure chemical sunscreens can be transparent, but may be more irritating to sensitive skin. There are currently some physical sunscreen products on the market that use new technologies to reduce whitening.
Conclusion
The white color of sunscreen is not accidental, but an intuitive reflection of its protective function. As technology advances, we may see the emergence of more effective and beautiful sunscreen products. When choosing sunscreen, you should not pursue complete transparency, but should pay more attention to its protective ability and skin adaptability.
Summer sunscreen tips: No matter what color the sunscreen is, the most important thing is to apply it in sufficient amount (about the size of a 1 yuan coin) and frequently (every 2 hours) to truly exert its protective effect.
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