Reef Safe

Learn more about what it means when we attatch this attribute to a product or ingredient

Description

Many common sunscreen ingredients can damage coral reefs.

Zinc Oxide & Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticles:

While Zinc Oxide and Titanium Dioxide are generally reef safe, the reduction of particle size to make sunscreen look more “invisible” on skin has been found to be toxic in marine ecosystems.

These Zinc Oxide and Titanium Dioxide nanoparticles have been found in the kidneys, liver, and gills of marine animals, as well as coral and algae. When exposed to solar radiation (sunlight), these nanoparticles produce hydrogen peroxide (H202), which has been found to increase toxicity for phytoplankton by increasing oxidative stress in the marine environment.

Phytoplankton produce anywhere from 50-85% of all oxygen on Earth. In the end, this oxidative stress can lead to a decrease of marine-environment resiliency, or the ability for an ecosystem to withstand disturbance and recover from damage.

We currently mark zinc oxide and titanium dioxide as non-reef-safe, as many of the sunscreens that use them contain nano-sized particles.

Certain brands claim that their sunscreens are reef safe, but can't back up that claim. Luckily, there are a few brands out there that use non-nano particle sizes, and we've made our best effort to flag these sunscreens as reef safe on SkinSort.

Benzophenones (BP-2 and Oxybenzone):

Two of the most popular types of Benzophenones used in products are BP2 (benzophenone-2) and Oxybenzone (benzophenone-3). BP2 has been shown to bleach and damage corals while Oxybenzone has been found to be toxic to coral and fish. In some cases, oxybenzone has been found to be linked to endocrine and reproductive disorders in fish.

Oxybenzone and Octinoxate are banned in Hawaii.

Octinoxate, Avobenzone, and ButylParaben:

Octinoxate was banned in Hawaii in 2015. Octinoxate (Octyl methoxycinnamate), Avobenzone (Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane), and Butylparaben have all been linked to coral bleaching, even at low concentrations. Octinoxate also causes endocrine disruption in corals.

Other Ingredients:

At this moment, we have found other ingredients to have inconclusive research. However, we know the world of research is constantly producing new results and studies. If you believe we have missed an ingredient that should be on our “non-reef safe list”, please get in contact with us!

References

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