Zinc Acetate can be formulated in pharmaceuticals and foods as a zinc supplement against zinc deficiencies and Wilson's disease. It's industrial applications include wood preserving, manufacturing other zinc salts, polymer cross-linking agent, making ethylene acetate, dye mordant and analytical reagent.

Dietary and medicinal applications
Zinc acetate is used as a dietary supplement and in lozenges used to treat the common cold. Zinc acetate alone is thought to be more effective at treating the common cold than zinc gluconate. Zinc acetate can also used to treat zinc deficiencies. As an oral daily supplement it is used to inhibit the body's absorption of copper as part of the treatment for Wilson's disease. Zinc acetate is also sold as an astringent in the form of an ointment, a topical lotion; or combined with an antibiotic (erythromycin) for the topical treatment of acne. Industrial applications

Industrial applications
include wood preserving, manufacturing other zinc salts, polymers, manufacture of ethylene acetate, as a dye mordant, and analytical reagent. Zinc acetate is a precursor via a sol-gel route to the transparent semiconductor zinc oxide.