The ingredient that this post will discuss is a Zinc Carbonate found on the Head & Shoulders shampoo’s ingredient list. Zinc Carbonate is an ionic compound consisting of zinc, carbon, and three oxygen ions. The chemical formula of the ingredient is ZnCO3. This compound is often used in cosmetics, agriculture, and rubber production (National Center for Biotechnology Information, 2022). The growing demand for the ingredient among manufacturers means that compound should be discussed in detail.
The second part of the ingredient’s name – carbonate – is a carbon oxoanion that is formed by loss of hydron atoms. These anions are formed when oxoacids containing oxygen, hydrogen, and one other element loses to bond between hydron and oxygen atoms. The first part of the ingredient’s name is the name of the metal that exists in the compound – zinc. Hence, zinc carbonate has a name consisting of metal’s name and carbon oxoanion’s name. Although, the preparation of zinc carbonate does not include mixing zinc and carbonate, because the process is a little more complicated. This ingredient is insoluble in water, thus used in cosmetics. However, the direct contact with zinc carbonate might be dangerous.
The use of zinc carbonate in shampoo is to reduce flakes in hair. As written on the Head & Shoulders official website “Zinc Carbonate helps fight flakes better by moisturizing the scalp and paired with ZPT, helps keep the dandruff-fighting ingredient in its most effective form.” (Head & Shoulders). This statement means that zinc carbonate works as a catalyst for another ingredient in the shampoo. Nonetheless, the ingredient itself is dangerous when directly contacted with skin or eyes. The official website of National Library of Medicine states precautions regarding zinc carbonate. It is stated that compound might cause skin and eye irritation, and it is very toxic for aquatic life (National Center for Biotechnology Information, 2022). Therefore, the ingredient should be carefully used by manufacturers.
References
National Center for Biotechnology Information (2022). PubChem Compound Summary for CID 11955398, Zinc carbonate, basic. Web.
Head and Shoulders. (n.d.). What is zinc pyrithione in shampoo?: Head & shoulders. Head and Shoulders. Web.