• Photos of Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg surfing in Hawaii became the subject of a viral meme over the weekend.
  • In the photos, Zuckerberg’s face is covered in zinc oxide – a white substance that meme makers compared to mime face paint and Batman’s notorious antagonist, The Joker.
  • Although zinc oxide and other physical sunscreens may look funny because they sit on top of the skin, they’re more effective in physically blocking harmful rays, rather than absorbing them like chemical sunscreens do.
  • Physical sunscreens are especially recommend for people with fair complexions.
  • Zuckerberg owns several properties in Hawaii, worth well over $100 million.
  • Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is once again the center of a widespread meme, but this time it’s not tied to a congressional grilling.

Instead, the image comes from a recent surfing excursion where the 36-year-old billionaire took a very thorough approach to sun protection.

https://twitter.com/nypost/status/1284947338847563776?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

In the image, Zuckerberg is seen in Hawaii on an electric surfboard (thus the controller in his hand). The board is said to be a $12,000 model from Efoil, according to the New York Post.

Rather than latching onto the electric surfboard, though, people goofed on Zuckerberg for appearing as if he'd been made up like a mime.

https://twitter.com/bornmiserable/status/1284997894345388032?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

But that's no face paint!

Zuckerberg was likely wearing zinc oxide-based sunscreen, which acts as a physical sunblock from sun rays hitting your skin - not the worst idea given his fair complexion. In addition to being more effective in blocking harmful rays, physical sunscreens have regained favor among some, as the active ingredients in chemical-based sunscreens have faced scrutiny from the US Food and Drug Administration.

The comparisons rolled in, from the standard mime reference to semi-obscure anime references:

https://twitter.com/ogenki88/status/1284975898903511041?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfwhttps://twitter.com/mohalyak/status/1285004688107229186?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfwhttps://twitter.com/usuallyboring/status/1285007799513227264?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfwhttps://twitter.com/BeffernieBlack/status/1285234289978888193?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfwhttps://twitter.com/LewisJKellett/status/1285089289978744832?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

https://twitter.com/brent_peabody/status/1284981396096909318?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Though Zuckerberg is primarily based out of California like the company he runs, he owns massive swaths of land in Hawaii. Among those is a 750-acre property on the North Shore, which he paid somewhere around $100 million for back in 2014.

Editor's note: Chemical-based sunscreen is effective, but active ingredients within it (namely avobenzone, oxybenzone, and octinoxate) are being identified and reexamined by the FDA as a potential endocrine disrupter (and carcinogen). These chemicals have also been linked to high mortality among corals, along with a growing list of other aquatic creatures.