But each of us knows our own skin the best, so please decide for yourself what the safe amount of time to stay in the sun is.)Īfter all this is taken care of, the final step is the sunscreen. Spend time in the shade between time in the sun (some recommend not staying in the sun for longer than 15 minutes at a stretch. With all that out of the way, let’s learn how to protect our skin! Let’s just try our best, ok?įirst, take care of the basics: wear appropriate clothing, and protect your head with a hat or a wrap. Members include many of the companies in the table below, including Kokua Sun Care, Mama Kuleana, ThinkSport, and more. The Safe Sunscreen Council is a coalition of companies working to raise public awareness about the impact sunscreen ingredients may have on people and the planet. It may not damage the reef, but it needs to also not cause any harm to the rest of the ocean. WHAAAAT? Yeah, it needs to be non-toxic and biodegradable. Sigh, even if a sunscreen is a mineral, creamy concoction that is reef friendly, cruelty-free, vegan and it goes into the ocean and gently rocks baby corals to sleep, it may still not be eco-friendly. ![]() Vegan & Cruelty-freeīeeswax seems to be pretty common in sunscreen, so even if a brand claims to be dairy-free, it may not be vegan. They also do not contain parabens or petrolatum/mineral oil, or high concentrations of titanium dioxide. What is the meaning of reef safe? These sunscreens do not contain oxybenzone and octinoxate (both of which cause coral bleaching and were banned in Hawaii in 2018 and in Key West, Florida, earlier this year). So, go for non nano sunscreen, which is made with zinc oxide or titanium dioxide and is not harmful to marine life. Good for us, right? But, unfortunately, these nanoparticles cause quite a bit of damage to the environment and to marine life. Physical sunscreens were made with nanoparticles, which, being very small, get ‘trapped’ in the nano zinc oxide and don’t penetrate the skin. Nano VS Non-nanoĪt one point, apparently, sunscreen manufacturers thought nanotechnology would come to the rescue. This is not only cooler, but safer for everyone concerned. Physical or mineral, on the other hand, sunscreen uses zinc oxide or titanium dioxide to bounce the sun’s rays back off your skin. Mineral SunscreenĬhemical sunscreens are not only toxic and bad for coral reefs, but they ‘absorb’ the sun’s rays like a sponge (the UVAs and UVBs). What is reef safe sunscreen? First, some definitions: Chemical VS. What Are Reef Safe Sunscreen Ingredients? PLEASE READ MY DISCLOSURE FOR MORE DETAILS. (Remember, what goes on your skin also gets absorbed into your body and affects stuff inside. Please do your own research before putting anything on your skin or into your body. But there are other options, which, while not ideal, are definitely better than the toxic alternatives.Īs always, this is an indicative list. If you are able to access and purchase the very best, most natural, reef safe, cruelty-free vegan sunscreen, then that’s great. Are they made of natural and organic ingredients? Not always. They’re not damaging the reefs, they haven’t been lab-tested on animals, and they contain no animal products or derivatives. So what did I look for? Reef safe, cruelty-free vegan sunscreens. Now, instead of going over the super-complicated product list of existing sunscreens on the market, I thought I’d simplify my search by sticking to a few key requirements. And chemical sunscreens are not exactly great for your health, either. ![]() Sunblocks, or sunscreens, are guilty of causing massive damage to the environment, and to coral reefs in particular. The Search for Sunscreen that the Coral Reefs Like ![]() And while you’ve probably been protecting your skin with sunblock since you were a little kid, it’s now way past time to ask this question seriously: what is the safest sunblock to use – for the oceans and for yourself? See, while you’re getting baked in the sun this summer, you do need to protect your skin.
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