Global Ingredient Risk Index Mineral

Zinc Oxide

Zinc oxide (ZnO)

Also known as: zinc oxide, ZnO

27 მარ 2026

LOW RISK 3.5/10 How?

This ingredient is classified as unclassified risk (GIRI score: 3.5/10).

Known Safety Concerns

Very low bioavailability (~9%) -- therapeutic value questionable
Copper depletion with chronic supplementation
FDA advisory against zinc nasal sprays -- permanent anosmia risk
Nausea at high doses

Contraindications

Very low bioavailability (~9%) -- therapeutic value questionable
Copper depletion with chronic supplementation

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Information not yet available for this ingredient profile.

Zinc oxide has very low bioavailability (approximately 9%) compared to organic zinc forms. It is the cheapest form found in many low-cost multivitamins. Despite poor absorption, accumulated high doses can deplete copper. The intranasal zinc oxide products linked to permanent anosmia have prompted FDA advisory against zinc nasal products.

Scientific Name: Zinc oxide (ZnO)

Information not yet available for this ingredient profile.

SETI Score 50/100

Risk Level High risk

Scientific Confidence Low

Evidence Strength Limited

Key Benefit Mineral

Key Safety Concern Very low bioavailability (~9%) -- therapeutic value questionable

Evidence Reviewed 10 PubMed studies

Scientific Confidence Low

Based on study quality, consistency, and recency

Executive Summary — Ingredient Assessment

SETI Score 50/100

Risk Level High risk

Evidence Strength Limited

Main Benefit Mineral

Main Safety Concern Very low bioavailability (~9%) -- therapeutic value questionable

Ingredient Zinc Oxide

Scientific name Zinc oxide (ZnO)

Scientific Evidence Overview

10 studies reviewed
0 high-quality studies (meta-analysis or RCT)
Main clinical benefit observed: Mineral
Evidence consistency: High consistency across studies (100%)

Safety Signals

Very low bioavailability (~9%) -- therapeutic value questionable
Copper depletion with chronic supplementation
FDA advisory against zinc nasal sprays -- permanent anosmia risk
Nausea at high doses

Evidence Strength Limited

Final Scientific Assessment

The available scientific evidence for Zinc Oxide indicates notable safety signals that warrant caution. Use should be considered carefully and monitored, particularly in sensitive populations or alongside other medications.

Ingredient Zinc Oxide

Evidence reviewed 10 peer-reviewed studies (last 10 years)

Scientific name Zinc oxide (ZnO)

50 /100

Total SETI Score

High risk

Evidence quality	10/40
Evidence consistency	20/20
Safety signals	0/20
Study recency	10/10
Evidence transparency	10/10

Evidence Summary

10 studies reviewed
0 high-quality studies (meta-analysis or systematic review)
0 studies identified benefits or no safety concern (GREEN)
10 studies reported limited or advisory safety evidence (YELLOW)

Evidence Policy

Only peer-reviewed scientific literature indexed in PubMed or comparable databases is included in this evaluation. Commercial websites, blogs, and marketing materials are excluded. All references include direct traceable links to source documents.

Last updated: 24 მარ 2026, 11:01

Evidence Distribution

10 Other / unclassified

Observational / other LOW evidence YELLOW
MOF-Derived ZnO Thin Films with Uniformly Dispersed Pt Nanoparticles for High-Performance Acetone Detection. ↗

PMID 41867553 ↗

Journal ACS Omega

Year 2026

Study type Observational / other

Evidence strength LOW evidence

PubMed link https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41867553/

Alharbi H et al.. MOF-Derived ZnO Thin Films with Uniformly Dispersed Pt Nanoparticles for High-Performance Acetone Detection.. ACS Omega. 2026. PMID:41867553.
Observational / other LOW evidence YELLOW
Assessment of the efficacy of agarose and agarose augmented with zinc oxide, carbon dots, and graphitic carbon nitride nanostructures in the restoration… ↗

PMID 41858934 ↗

Journal RSC Adv

Year 2026

Study type Observational / other

Evidence strength LOW evidence

PubMed link https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41858934/

ElDeeb HM et al.. Assessment of the efficacy of agarose and agarose augmented with zinc oxide, carbon dots, and graphitic carbon nitride nanostructures in the restoration of historic tintype.. RSC Adv. 2026. PMID:41858934.
Observational / other LOW evidence YELLOW
Exposure to Zinc Oxide and Selenium Nanoparticles in Japanese Quail: Oxidative Stress, Inflammatory Responses, and Histopathological Outcomes. ↗

PMID 41858267 ↗

Journal J Appl Toxicol

Year 2026

Study type Observational / other

Evidence strength LOW evidence

PubMed link https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41858267/

Noreen T et al.. Exposure to Zinc Oxide and Selenium Nanoparticles in Japanese Quail: Oxidative Stress, Inflammatory Responses, and Histopathological Outcomes.. J Appl Toxicol. 2026. PMID:41858267.
Observational / other LOW evidence YELLOW
One-Step Pulsed Electrodeposition of ZnO/ZnP Composite Coatings on Titanium Implants for Enhanced Antibacterial Activity and Biocompatibility. ↗

PMID 41854528 ↗

Journal ACS Appl Bio Mater

Year 2026

Study type Observational / other

Evidence strength LOW evidence

PubMed link https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41854528/

Chen J et al.. One-Step Pulsed Electrodeposition of ZnO/ZnP Composite Coatings on Titanium Implants for Enhanced Antibacterial Activity and Biocompatibility.. ACS Appl Bio Mater. 2026. PMID:41854528.
Observational / other LOW evidence YELLOW
Development of antibacterial PLA-based melt-blown nonwovens via incorporation of P(3HB-co-4HB) and ZnO nanoparticles: Processing and property evaluation. ↗

PMID 41850454 ↗

Journal Int J Biol Macromol

Year 2026

Study type Observational / other

Evidence strength LOW evidence

PubMed link https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41850454/

Yu J et al.. Development of antibacterial PLA-based melt-blown nonwovens via incorporation of P(3HB-co-4HB) and ZnO nanoparticles: Processing and property evaluation.. Int J Biol Macromol. 2026. PMID:41850454.
Observational / other LOW evidence YELLOW
3D-printed doped optical waveguides for sensing applications: graphite- and zinc-doped structures. ↗

PMID 41842142 ↗

Journal Appl Opt

Year 2026

Study type Observational / other

Evidence strength LOW evidence

PubMed link https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41842142/

Soto-Bernal JJ et al.. 3D-printed doped optical waveguides for sensing applications: graphite- and zinc-doped structures.. Appl Opt. 2026. PMID:41842142.
Observational / other LOW evidence YELLOW
Impact of low-crude protein and insoluble fiber diets on post-weaning diarrhea, growth performance, intestinal morphology, and gene expression for nursery pigs with… ↗

PMID 41841044 ↗

Journal Transl Anim Sci

Year 2026

Study type Observational / other

Evidence strength LOW evidence

PubMed link https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41841044/

Hagen C et al.. Impact of low-crude protein and insoluble fiber diets on post-weaning diarrhea, growth performance, intestinal morphology, and gene expression for nursery pigs with natural rotavirus and subject to enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli F18+ experimental infection.. Transl Anim Sci. 2026. PMID:41841044.
Observational / other LOW evidence YELLOW
Application of small molecule inhibitors to probe the mechanism underlying nanomaterial pulmonary inflammatory responses in vitro. ↗

PMID 41841012 ↗

Journal Nanotoxicology

Year 2026

Study type Observational / other

Evidence strength LOW evidence

PubMed link https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41841012/

Lofty M et al.. Application of small molecule inhibitors to probe the mechanism underlying nanomaterial pulmonary inflammatory responses in vitro.. Nanotoxicology. 2026. PMID:41841012.
Observational / other LOW evidence YELLOW
Hierarchically Restructured Antibacterial Electrodes for Neural Interfaces: Electrochemical and Microstructural Evolution under Extended Cycling. ↗

PMID 41834187 ↗

Journal ACS Appl Mater Interfaces

Year 2026

Study type Observational / other

Evidence strength LOW evidence

PubMed link https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41834187/

Panchal K et al.. Hierarchically Restructured Antibacterial Electrodes for Neural Interfaces: Electrochemical and Microstructural Evolution under Extended Cycling.. ACS Appl Mater Interfaces. 2026. PMID:41834187.
Observational / other LOW evidence YELLOW
Enhanced lasing emission from the improved hybrid structure of silver nanowires and zincu00a0oxide. ↗

PMID 41842206 ↗

Journal Appl Opt

Year 2025

Study type Observational / other

Evidence strength LOW evidence

PubMed link https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41842206/

Altamimi TA et al.. Enhanced lasing emission from the improved hybrid structure of silver nanowires and zincu00a0oxide.. Appl Opt. 2025. PMID:41842206.

Q × L × D × S × 10 = 3.5 / 10

The GIRI Score is the product of four independently computed evidence components, each normalised to 0–1, then scaled to 0–10. Every component is derived exclusively from peer-reviewed references and regulatory data — no editorial judgement is applied.

0 of 10 approved references (score saturates at 10). More peer-reviewed studies = stronger evidence base.

Method: Q = number of approved references ÷ 10 (capped at 1.0)

50%

Limited — mostly case reports or animal studies

Method: L = mean study-level weight across approved references. Level 1 (meta-analysis / systematic review) = 1.0; Level 2 (RCT) = 0.8; Level 3 (cohort/case-control) = 0.6; Level 4 (case report) = 0.4; Level 5 (animal / in-vitro) = 0.2.

Benefit

Risk

50%

Mixed or neutral — roughly equal benefit and risk signals

Method: D = (sum of risk-scored references − sum of benefit-scored references) ÷ total evidence score, then scaled from [−1, 1] to [0, 1]. 0.0 = pure benefit; 0.5 = neutral; 1.0 = pure risk.

50%

One or more monitoring-level safety signals active

Method: S = 0.5 (neutral baseline) + sum of active signal severity deltas ÷ 10. Severity deltas: Critical = +2.0, High = +1.5, Moderate = +1.0, Low = +0.5. Capped at 1.0.

0Q × 5L × 5D × 5S = 3.5 / 10

Final GIRI Score for Zinc Oxide. Risk level thresholds: Low 0–3.0 · Moderate 3.0–5.5 · High 5.5–7.5 · Critical 7.5–10.

Full methodology & data sources

The GIRI Score is computed entirely from structured data — no editorial scoring or subjective weighting is applied at any step.

References: Only approved references are counted. Each reference is assigned an evidence level (L1–L5) and a direction (risk / neutral / benefit) by the reference manager or AI classifier.
Safety Signals: Sourced from regulatory agencies (FDA, EMA, Health Canada, TGA, and others) and pharmacovigilance databases. Only active signals count toward the score.
Formula version: GIRI Score v3.7.0 — Q × L × D × S × 10.
Limitations: The score reflects published evidence and recorded signals as of the last update date. It is not a clinical risk assessment and should not replace advice from a qualified healthcare professional.

LOW RISK 3.5/10

Based on available regulatory signals and scientific evidence, this ingredient presents a low safety concern under normal conditions of use.

LOW
0–3.0

MODERATE
3.0–5.5

HIGH
5.5–7.5

CRITICAL
7.5–10

3.5

The score pin shows exactly where this ingredient falls on the fixed risk scale.

What drove the Low classification for Zinc Oxide

A score of 3.5 places this ingredient in the Low band. Thresholds: Low 0–3.0 · Moderate 3.0–5.5 · High 5.5–7.5 · Critical 7.5–10.

0 approved references.

Limited — mostly case reports or animal studies (Level 4–5).

Neutral or mixed — benefit and risk signals roughly balanced.

No active signals — S component is at neutral baseline (0.5), contributing no extra risk weight.

No major regulatory restrictions or advisories recorded across monitored jurisdictions (FDA, EMA, Health Canada, TGA, and others).

How are the Low / Moderate / High / Critical thresholds defined?

The four risk levels are fixed score bands. A score is assigned to exactly one level based on where it falls:

Level	Score	Meaning
LOW	0.0 – 2.9	Sparse or predominantly beneficial evidence. No active safety alerts.
MODERATE	3.0 – 5.4	Mixed signals — some risk alongside benefit. Caution at high doses or in sensitive groups.
HIGH	5.5 – 7.4	Multiple studies or regulatory alerts documenting adverse effects. Professional oversight recommended.
CRITICAL	7.5 – 10	Regulatory restrictions in one or more major jurisdictions. Serious documented harm. Avoid without specialist supervision.

Thresholds are fixed constants (GIRI_Score_Utils::LEVEL_THRESHOLDS). They do not change per ingredient and are never subject to editorial adjustment.

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Zinc Oxide

Safety Profile

Known Safety Concerns

Contraindications

Interactions

Evidence and Scientific Findings

Ingredient Overview

Biological and Chemical Classification

Mechanism of Action

Clinical Evidence of Effectiveness

Pharmacokinetics

Recommended Dosage

SETI — Scientific Evidence Transparency Index

Executive Summary — Ingredient Assessment

Evidence Summary

Evidence Policy

Evidence Distribution

Score Transparency

Risk Level Classification

What drove the Low classification for Zinc Oxide

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