Zinc sulfate (Zinc sulphate) is a chemical compound, an inorganic salt.

It appears as a white powder that is soluble in water. 

Medical

Zinc sulphate is often used in medical medicine to counteract the lack of zinc in the human body, as an adjuvant in the treatment of burns, wounds and acne, multiple recalcitrant viral warts, as a low-toxic, well-tolerated alternative to D-penicillamine.

In severe rheumatoid arthritis and psoriasis, its efficacy is questioned by scientific studies (1) and may therefore be considered an effective third-line anti-rheumatic drug, like gold and d-penicillamine (2).

Safety

Il solfato di zinco è ben tollerato e gli effetti avversi hanno carattere di lievità (3).

Cosmetics

It is a restricted ingredient as III/24 an item in the Annexes of the European Cosmetics Regulation 1223/2009

Antimicrobial agent. This ingredient is able to suppress or inhibit the growth and replication of a broad spectrum of microorganisms such as bacteria, fungi and viruses by making the stratum corneum temporarily bactericidal and fungicidal.

Antiplaque agent. This ingredient has the property of preventing the onset of caries by fighting the bacteria responsible for acid corrosion of teeth.

Coupling agent. It is an ingredient that plays the role of a 'coupling component' in oxidation colours and reacts with a precursor when an oxidising agent is present.

Oral care agent. This ingredient can be placed in the oral cavity to improve and/or maintain oral hygiene and health, to prevent or improve a disorder of the teeth, gums, mucous membrane.

Other uses

Highly soluble fertiliser for treated soils, but if soils are not treated, it can cause up to 40% yield loss (4).

Animal feed.

It is used to increase the concentration of zinc in vegetables.

The most relevant studies on this chemical compound have been selected with a summary of the contents:

• Molecular Formula O₄SZn   ZnSO₄
• Peso molecolare   161.436 g/mol
• CAS    7446-19-7 (monohydrate)  7733-02-0  (heptahydrate)    7733-02-0 (anhydrous) 
• UNII   PTX099XSF1
• EC number    231-793-3

Synonyms:

• Zinc sulphate
• Bonazen
• Medizinc
• Optised
• Sulfuric acid, zinc salt (1:1)

References_____________________________________________________________________

(1) Cimmino, M.A., Mazzucotelli, A., Rovetta, G., Bianchi, G. and Cutolo, M., 1984. The controversy over zinc sulphate efficacy in rheumatoid and psoriatic arthritis. Scandinavian journal of rheumatology, 13(2), pp.191-192.

(2) Rasker, J.J. and Kardaun, S.H., 1982. Lack of beneficial effect of zinc sulphate in rheumatoid arthritis. Scandinavian journal of rheumatology, 11(3), pp.168-170.

(3) Kurugöl, Z., Akilli, M., Bayram, N. and Koturoglu, G., 2006. The prophylactic and therapeutic effectiveness of zinc sulphate on common cold in children. Acta Paediatrica, 95(10), pp.1175-1181.

(4) Vadlamudi, K., Upadhyay, H., Singh, A. and Reddy, M., 2020. Influence of zinc application in plant growth: an overview. Eur. J. Mol. Clin. Med, 7, pp.2321-2327.