Everyone should be protecting their skin from the sun, but did you know that your sunscreen could be contributing to coral bleaching? In this post, I’ll tell you why traditional sunscreen is bad for the environment & how you can protect both your skin AND the environment. Let’s talk about environmentally friendly sun protection!
Why Traditional Sunscreen is Bad
Traditional sunscreen ingredients, oxybenzone & octinoxate in particular, have been found to damage coral reefs & harm other marine life. Research into this is still active & ongoing, and more studies are being conducted each year.
Damage & harm to marine life that has been found so far includes coral bleaching, defects and/or deformities in young coral, mussels, & sea urchins, damage to the immune & reproductive systems of sea urchins & fish, impaired growth in green algae, and DNA damage in coral.
Sunscreen chemicals enter waterways when we swim or shower. Even if we rub our sunscreen in really well, it doesn’t mean that none of it will come off in the water (and of course you WANT it to come off in the shower!).
According to NOAA, the following chemicals in sunscreen may harm marine life:
- Oxybenzone
- Benzophenone-1
- Benzophenone-8
- OD-PABA
- 4-Methylbenzylidene camphor
- 3-Benzylidene camphor
- nano-Titanium dioxide
- nano-Zinc oxide
- Octinoxate
- Octocrylene
What to use instead?
With that long list of chemicals, you might be wondering how in the world you’re supposed to find something that’s ok to use. Let’s dive into some environmentally friendly sun protection options!
UPF-Rated Clothing
The best option while more research is done into which sunscreen ingredients harm the environment is to wear UPF-rated clothing. UPF-rated, or ultraviolet protection factor, clothing is rated based on its UVA- & UVB-protection. It is similar to SPF, but instead of being based on the time it takes for UV-exposed skin to burn, it is based on how much UV radiation can penetrate the fabric. UPF of 30-49 is good, while 50 & above is excellent.
More & more retailers are carrying UPF-rated clothing. You might even find some made from REPREVE or ECONYL fabrics, which are produced from recycled plastics & nylon. My current UPF-rated collection includes a hooded zip-up UPF 50 rashguard from Roxy, Coolibar UPF 50 leggings (that you can swim in!), & a zip-up UPF 50 jacket from Speedo. Depending on where you want to buy from, it can be a bit pricey. Don’t be afraid to check out a place like Poshmark for second-hand options.
The best thing about using UPF-rated clothing instead of sunscreen is that you don’t have to worry about reapplying! As someone who burns easily, even when diligently trying to cover every inch of myself in sunscreen & reapplying exactly when I’m supposed to, only having to worry about my hands, face, & feet is incredible.
Environmentally-Friendly Mineral Sunscreen
For the parts of your body that can’t be protected by UPF-rated clothing, non-nano mineral sunscreen is the answer. What does that mean? Well, it means that the main ingredient in your sunscreen should be zinc oxide, and that somewhere it should say non-nano.
My personal favorite is Raw Elements. They are made in the USA, a 1% for the Planet member, committed to third-party testing to ensure they are using non-nano zinc oxide only, and only use natural ingredients in their products. They are striving to be 100% plastic-free, and while they aren’t there yet, a majority of products they sell are plastic-free. They also founded World Reef Day (June 1st) to bring awareness to the crisis coral reefs are facing around the globe.
There are other mineral sunscreen brands out there, I just haven’t tried them, so I don’t feel comfortable speaking about them. Be prepared that unless you find a tinted environmentally friendly mineral sunscreen your skin will be a few shades lighter than normal. I am pale already, so I look a tad ghostly when I wear my sunscreen.
Zinc oxide sunscreen can be more difficult to get off than traditional sunscreen. It is a bear to get out if you get it on clothes, too (at least in my experience with a pair of black board shorts). My tip is to use a washcloth and warm water to try to get off as much as you can before removing any items of clothing. If you’re in just a swimsuit, then I’d suggest hopping straight in the shower with it still on, and then take it off after you’ve gotten all the sunscreen off.
Beware the Reef-Safe Label
As with so many things in the US economy, “reef-safe” and “reef-friendly” are unregulated terms. That means companies can use them and, as long as it is remotely true, face no consequences. For instance, a company could eliminate just oxybenzone & octinoxate from their sunscreen products and call them “reef-safe” (*cough*Banana Boat*cough*). However, they could still include other chemicals that are on the list above from NOAA.
You may also have noticed that nano-zinc oxide & nano-titanium dioxide were listed above under the concerning chemicals. This is because their particles are small enough to be absorbed by coral and other invertebrates. The only active sunscreen ingredient that has been shown not to harm coral reefs is non-nano zinc oxide.
The non-nano is the trickiest part in trying to figure out if your sunscreen is actually reef-safe. Even Raw Elements doesn’t call it “non-nano zinc oxide” in the ingredients, but has a non-nano certification on the front. You may have to dig into the brand’s website to find out if they really use non-nano zinc oxide.
Find the environmentally friendly sun protection that works for you & go with it! Be sure to let me know if your life is as transformed by UPF-rated clothing as mine was.
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