Make Sure It’s Oxybenzone- and Octinoxate-Free: And just like at the grocery store, a minimal number of ingredients that sound like they were brewed in a lab is a good rule of thumb to abide by. Laws like Hawaii’s and retailers like REI, which stopped carrying oxybenzone-laden sunscreens in 2020, are helping by getting products off shelves, but the onus is usually on the consumer to become an educated label reader. A reef-safe label has more legal ramifications thanks to cases like this one out of Sonoma County, Calif., and companies often have to substantiate those marketing claims. The bad news is that some companies actively try to hide, confuse, or play loose with the unregulated term reef-friendly. How Do You Know If Sunscreen Is Reef-Safe or Reef-Friendly? So which sunscreen should you buy and use? Read on for more helpful tips. He also cautions that you should avoid sunscreen sprays as a good portion lands on the sand, affecting both animals that nest and live in the sand like turtles, and the ocean as the high tide sweeps it into the sea. (Hawaii’s law, the first statewide ban in the US, went into effect in January.) Those ingredients have been banned in many marine preserves, Palau, the Marshall Islands, the Virgin Islands, parts of Mexico, the Florida Keys and Hawaii. But he says if you’re going to use sunscreen, at least make sure it doesn’t contain the worst toxic offenders, oxybenzone and octinoxate. He understands that isn’t always a viable or desirable option for sun worshippers and would never advocate that people skip protecting themselves from the sun’s harmful rays, painful sunburns and skin cancer. “There are some calculations that wearing a sun shirt instead of putting sunscreen on your torso/arms can reduce sunscreen pollution by more than 50 percent in an area. “That’s probably one of the most powerful conservation measures an individual can adopt it means putting less sunscreen on your body which means less gets on the sand or in the water,” Downs says. It’s also a major factor in decreased water quality,” says Craig Downs, the study’s co-author and the executive director of Haereticus Environmental Laboratory.ĭowns says the best course of action is to exchange lotions and potions for bathing suits with sleeves and protective clothing like hats, rash guards, and swim leggings that have broad-spectrum UV protection built into the fabric as there is no 100 percent reef-safe sunscreen. “Sunscreen pollution is a real phenomenon and it poses a threat to coral reefs and aquatic life. And according to scientific research, they’re also being killed - and your sunscreen may be part of the problem. Not only do they provide nesting grounds and homes for hundreds of species, they also help stabilize the sea floor, prevent coastal erosion and storm surge damage, contribute to the mitigation of climate change by regulating carbon dioxide levels in the ocean, promote tourism, support your fresh seafood habit, and filter and clean seawater. If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Rolling Stone may receive an affiliate commission.Ĭoral reefs are one of the most diverse ecosystems on the planet and their survival is inextricably linked to our own.
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