How sunscreen is made
Mineral sunscreen is basically ground-up zinc oxide or titanium dioxide, whipped into lotion.
- stations
- 8
- things upstream
- 40
- raw sources
- 17
- steps from the ground
- 7
The short version
Sunscreen is an emulsion of oil and water that carries UV-blocking ingredients. These are either powdered minerals such as zinc oxide and titanium dioxide, or organic chemicals that absorb ultraviolet light. Oil and water phases are heated separately, combined with high-shear mixing, cooled, tested and filled into tubes or bottles.
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Mill the mineral powders
Zinc oxide and titanium dioxide are ground into particles small enough to spread evenly on skin. Many are coated so they do not clump in the oil.
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Make organic filters
Chemical sunscreens use petroleum-based molecules that absorb ultraviolet light and release it as a little heat. They are synthesized in a chemical plant and arrive as powders or oils.
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Heat the oil phase
Oils, waxes and the UV filters are warmed together in one stainless vessel until everything is liquid and uniform.
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Heat the water phase
In a second vessel, water, glycerin and thickeners are brought to the same temperature as the oil phase.
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Emulsify the two
The phases are combined under a high-speed mixer that breaks the oil into droplets so tiny they stay suspended. The result is a smooth white lotion.
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Cool and add the delicate bits
As the batch cools, preservatives, fragrance and heat-sensitive ingredients are stirred in.
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Test the protection
The sun protection factor is measured by exposing lab test subjects or instruments to UV light. Batches are also checked for texture and stability.
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Fill and seal
Tubes and bottles are filled, sealed and labeled with the protection rating.
Goes in
Worth repeating
- Austrian chemist Franz Greiter developed a glacier cream in 1946 that became the basis for the Piz Buin brand, named after the mountain where he allegedly got sunburned.
- Mineral sunscreens work mostly by absorbing UV light, with some of it also reflected and scattered.
Back to the ground
Follow every input upstream and sunscreen starts as these 17 raw sources.
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Sources
Cite this page: "How sunscreen is made." Assembly Line, 2026-11-03. https://assemblyline.org/make/sunscreen