The Beauty & Personal Care Brand Builder Series

Ingredient Deep Dive

Zinc Chloride

The Beauty & Personal Care Brand Builder Series

Ingredient Deep Dive

Zinc Chloride

The Astringent Zinc Salt

Zinc Chloride is a soluble zinc salt used in cosmetics as an astringent and oil-controlling active, particularly in scalp and skin formulas.

It helps tighten the look of the skin surface and support a balanced, comfortable scalp, and provides a source of soluble zinc.

Quick Insights

Ingredient Rating:

GOOD

Type of Ingredient:

Astringent and Oil Control Agent

Intended Function:

A soluble zinc salt used as an astringent and scalp oil-balancer.

Common Applications:

Used in serums and moisturizers and hair-care formulas.

Target Audience:

Brands formulating astringent, oil-balancing scalp and skin products.

Also Known As:

Zinc Chloride

Benefits of Zinc Chloride

A soluble zinc salt that acts as an astringent and helps balance the look of an oily scalp.

Astringent: Helps tighten and refine the look of the skin surface.
Oil-Balance (Look): Supports the appearance of a balanced, less-oily scalp.
Soluble Zinc: A readily-soluble source of the mineral zinc.
Scalp Comfort: Supports a fresh, comfortable-looking scalp.
Multi-Use: Used across scalp, skin and deodorant systems.

How It Works

Zinc Chloride dissociates to release zinc ions that mildly bind surface proteins — the basis of its astringent, pore-refining feel — and help support a balanced-looking, comfortable scalp. It is used at low levels for these surface effects.

Formulating with Zinc Chloride

Zinc Chloride is water-soluble and added to the water phase at low levels; it is acidic in solution, so buffer the system to the target pH. Observe good manufacturing and preservation practice.

Safety Analysis

Zinc Chloride is used at low cosmetic levels; it is acidic and mildly astringent, so formulate at an appropriate buffered pH. As always, substantiate the finished product’s safety (e.g. patch / HRIPT testing) in line with MoCRA requirements.

References

https://incidecoder.com/ingredients/zinc-chloride

https://cosmeticsinfo.org/ingredient/zinc-chloride/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zinc_chloride

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