Jessica Alba's company reduced the zinc in its sunscreen. But is it really harmful?

The Honest Company came under fire after customers who used its sunscreen got sunburns. But what are the zinc particles used in sunscreen, and are they safe? Here’s our guide

Jessica Alba’s The Honest Company has come under fire recently after users of its sunscreens said they got sunburned despite applying the sunscreen as directed. According to NBC5 in Chicago, this might be due to the fact that the company has switched its sunscreen formula, reducing the amount of zinc it uses from 20% to 9.3%. Most zinc sunscreens contain between 18% to 25%.

NBC5 Chicago reported that The Honest Company said that it has been transparent about the amount of zinc it uses and that when it removed zinc, it added other ingredients to ensure the sunscreen was effective.

Related: Burning up: users of Honest Company's sunscreen say it fails at basic protection

Zinc oxide provides physical protection from damaging rays, absorbing primarily UVA light rather than scattering or reflecting it. It is also a mild antimicrobial and wound healing substance and is considered to be non-comedogenic.

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