| Title |
Titanium dioxide and zinc oxide nanoparticles in sunscreens: focus on their safety and effectiveness
|
|---|---|
| Published in |
Nanotechnology Science and Applications, October 2011
|
| DOI | 10.2147/nsa.s19419 |
| Pubmed ID | |
| Authors |
Threes G Smijs, Stanislav Pavel |
| Abstract |
Sunscreens are used to provide protection against adverse effects of ultraviolet (UV)B (290-320 nm) and UVA (320-400 nm) radiation. According to the United States Food and Drug Administration, the protection factor against UVA should be at least one-third of the overall sun protection factor. Titanium dioxide (TiO2) and zinc oxide (ZnO) minerals are frequently employed in sunscreens as inorganic physical sun blockers. As TiO2 is more effective in UVB and ZnO in the UVA range, the combination of these particles assures a broad-band UV protection. However, to solve the cosmetic drawback of these opaque sunscreens, microsized TiO2 and ZnO have been increasingly replaced by TiO2 and ZnO nanoparticles (NPs) (<100 nm). This review focuses on significant effects on the UV attenuation of sunscreens when microsized TiO2 and ZnO particles are replaced by NPs and evaluates physicochemical aspects that affect effectiveness and safety of NP sunscreens. With the use of TiO2 and ZnO NPs, the undesired opaqueness disappears but the required balance between UVA and UVB protection can be altered. Utilization of mixtures of micro- and nanosized ZnO dispersions and nanosized TiO2 particles may improve this situation. Skin exposure to NP-containing sunscreens leads to incorporation of TiO2 and ZnO NPs in the stratum corneum, which can alter specific NP attenuation properties due to particle-particle, particle-skin, and skin-particle-light physicochemical interactions. Both sunscreen NPs induce (photo)cyto- and genotoxicity and have been sporadically observed in viable skin layers especially in case of long-term exposures and ZnO. Photocatalytic effects, the highest for anatase TiO2, cannot be completely prevented by coating of the particles, but silica-based coatings are most effective. Caution should still be exercised when new sunscreens are developed and research that includes sunscreen NP stabilization, chronic exposures, and reduction of NPs' free-radical production should receive full attention. |
X Demographics
The data shown below were collected from the profiles of 8 X users who shared this research output. Click here to find out more about how the information was compiled.
Geographical breakdown
| Country | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Australia | 2 | 25% |
| Spain | 1 | 13% |
| France | 1 | 13% |
| Unknown | 4 | 50% |
Demographic breakdown
| Type | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Members of the public | 4 | 50% |
| Practitioners (doctors, other healthcare professionals) | 2 | 25% |
| Scientists | 1 | 13% |
| Science communicators (journalists, bloggers, editors) | 1 | 13% |
Mendeley readers
The data shown below were compiled from readership statistics for 1,330 Mendeley readers of this research output. Click here to see the associated Mendeley record.
Geographical breakdown
| Country | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Australia | 2 | <1% |
| Sri Lanka | 2 | <1% |
| India | 2 | <1% |
| Chile | 1 | <1% |
| France | 1 | <1% |
| Pakistan | 1 | <1% |
| Italy | 1 | <1% |
| Netherlands | 1 | <1% |
| Colombia | 1 | <1% |
| Other | 7 | <1% |
| Unknown | 1311 | 99% |
Demographic breakdown
| Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Student > Bachelor | 204 | 15% |
| Student > Ph. D. Student | 183 | 14% |
| Student > Master | 178 | 13% |
| Researcher | 95 | 7% |
| Student > Doctoral Student | 52 | 4% |
| Other | 171 | 13% |
| Unknown | 447 | 34% |
| Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Chemistry | 217 | 16% |
| Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutical Science | 87 | 7% |
| Engineering | 81 | 6% |
| Agricultural and Biological Sciences | 80 | 6% |
| Materials Science | 75 | 6% |
| Other | 285 | 21% |
| Unknown | 505 | 38% |
Attention Score in Context
This research output has an Altmetric Attention Score of 210. This is our high-level measure of the quality and quantity of online attention that it has received. This Attention Score, as well as the ranking and number of research outputs shown below, was calculated when the research output was last mentioned on 03 April 2024.
All research outputs
#188,381
of 26,017,215 outputs
Outputs from Nanotechnology Science and Applications
#1
of 68 outputs
Outputs of similar age
#635
of 148,364 outputs
Outputs of similar age from Nanotechnology Science and Applications
#1
of 3 outputs
Altmetric has tracked 26,017,215 research outputs across all sources so far. Compared to these this one has done particularly well and is in the 98th percentile: it's in the top 5% of all research outputs ever tracked by Altmetric.
So far Altmetric has tracked 68 research outputs from this source. They typically receive more attention than average, with a mean Attention Score of 9.3. This one has done particularly well, scoring higher than 98% of its peers.
Older research outputs will score higher simply because they've had more time to accumulate mentions. To account for age we can compare this Altmetric Attention Score to the 148,364 tracked outputs that were published within six weeks on either side of this one in any source. This one has done particularly well, scoring higher than 98% of its contemporaries.
We're also able to compare this research output to 3 others from the same source and published within six weeks on either side of this one. This one has scored higher than all of them