Understanding Chemical vs. Mineral Sunscreen

At COOLA, we offer consumers a wide range of feel-good mineral and non-mineral sunscreen options. With the goal of preventing skin cancer, we believe the most effective sunscreen is the one you’ll love wearing every day, which is why we are committed to creating products that feel great on the skin. 

There are two kinds of sunscreen filters – mineral and non-mineral – that work in different ways to keep you safe. 

Mineral sunscreens create a physical barrier on the skin that blocks UV rays by reflecting them away from the skin. At COOLA, our mineral collection uses coated Zinc Oxide and Titanium Dioxide filters. We combine these filters with genre-defying technology that allows our formulas to rub on sheer and feel lightweight, all while delivering powerful broad-spectrum coverage, even for sensitive skin. 

Non-mineral (also known as chemical) filters are FDA-approved ingredients such as Homosalate, Octocrylene, Octisalate, and Avobenzone, that absorb UV rays, convert them into heat, and release them. Chemical sunscreens are often desired because they offer a much more transparent finish, a lighter feel, and a wider variety of applications on the skin. At COOLA, we take the FDA’s safety regulations seriously and adhere to their strict regulatory guidelines that are designed to ensure non-mineral filters are photostable and don’t break down. We also aim to use the smallest amount of non-mineral filters possible by optimizing their performance with our proprietary plant-derived technology.