How to Find an Ocean-Friendly Sunscreen

According to the Oceanic Society, between 6,000 and 14,000 tons of sunscreen wash off into coral reef habitats every year. Many of the chemicals found in conventional sunscreens can contribute to the bleaching of these reefs, essentially killing them and their surrounding ecosystem. Choosing a reef-friendly sunscreen for your family will help protect our oceans and the wildlife that lives in them.

Guidelines for Reef-Friendly Suncare:

Avoid these chemical ingredients: any form of microplastic spheres or beads, any nanoparticles like zinc oxide or titanium dioxide, oxybenzone, octinoxate, 4-methylbenzylidene camphor, octocrylene, paraaminobenzoic acid (PABA), methyl paraben, ethyl paraben, propyl paraben, butyl paraben, benzyl paraben, and triclosan

Choose mineral or inorganic sunscreens like non-nano zinc oxide or titanium oxide that cannot be absorbed by the corals

Goddess Garden Kids SPF 50 Mineral Sunscreen

Bare Republic Mineral SPF 30 Sport Sunscreen Spray

Sources: Oceanic Society and Haereticus Environmental Laboratory