Here’s what you need to know about titanium dioxide and zinc oxide sunscreens

Ever looked at the ingredients list of your go-to sunscreen bottle? There’s a lot of complicated looking ingredients on there (try saying “oxybenzone” three times fast!).

Two popular sunscreen ingredients, in particular, seem like they’re better suited for an AP chem class than for sun protection: titanium dioxide and zinc oxide. Besides their complex-sounding names, the way they protect your skin from UV light is actually pretty simple. Here’s what you need to know about titanium dioxide and zinc oxide, aka mineral sunscreen:

What are titanium dioxide and zinc oxide?