PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an external preparation for skin which has a sufficient ultraviolet light-preventing effect and a good feeling of use in an external preparation for skin containing an ultraviolet light absorbent, and to provide a particulate metal oxide which is contained in such an external preparation for skin.SOLUTION: A particulate metal oxide is obtained by treating the surface of the particulate metal oxide with (a) reactive organopolysiloxane having a specific structure and (b) organopolysiloxane having at least one phenyl group. Further, the external preparation for skin having a sufficient ultraviolet light-preventing effect and having a good feeling of use is obtained by containing the particulate metal oxide in an external preparation for skin.
