Mark Mitchnick (Co-Founder of Burnd)

Mark Mitchnick did not invent the use of zinc oxide in sunscreens—zinc oxide has been used as a physical sunblock for decades—but he is credited with inventing and patenting a technology for making transparent (micronized/nanoparticle) zinc oxide suitable for cosmetically appealing sunscreens. The traditional use of zinc oxide in sun protection resulted in opaque, white creams. Mitchnick’s innovation in the early 1990s was to develop and commercialize transparent zinc oxide, which led to products that provided effective broad-spectrum protection without leaving a white residue.

Supporting context:

- Mark Mitchnick and associates at SunSmart/Particle Sciences held patents on the use of transparent, nanoparticulate zinc oxide as a sunscreen ingredient.

-The invention and subsequent commercialization made it possible for modern sunscreens to use zinc oxide without unattractive whiteness, which was a major advance, but not the first use of zinc oxide for sun protection overall.

- Patents and news stories credit Mitchnick for developing this transparent form, not for introducing zinc oxide itself to sunscreen formulations.

In summary, Mitchnick did not invent the use of zinc oxide in sunscreens generally, but did invent and patent cosmeceutical transparent forms of zinc oxide, which became widely used. His contribution to sunscreen science was highly significant, but it differed from the introduction of new active ingredients. Zinc oxide itself had been used in sunscreens for decades because of its ability to block both UVA and UVB rays. What set Mitchnick apart was his invention and commercialization of micronized (transparent/nanoparticle) zinc oxide, making broad-spectrum, mineral-based sunscreen both highly effective and cosmetically acceptable.