Reef-Safe Sunscreen Guide
We are stoked to see reef-safe sunscreen become much more normal and available. Where we live, right on the Mesoamerican Reef, every store has sunscreens that are labeled reef-safe. However, it’s pretty common knowledge among locals that not every sunscreen labeled this way is actually safe for local coral reefs.
The unfortunate truth is that the most popular brands of sunscreen are simply harmful to ocean life and coral reef. This includes Sun Bum, Coppertone, Tropicana, Banana Boat, and many more. Whether you’re surfing near a coral reef or just going for a swim at your local beach, we strongly encourage you to rethink the use of these products.
So let’s get into what exactly reef-safe suncreen is, what to look for on a bottle of sunscreen, and a few recommendations of ours.
Reef-Safe Sunscreen Ingredients
In general, you want to find sunscreans that are mineral-based rather than chemical-based. Examples of mineral-based sunscreens are zinc oxide and titanium dioxide. These two minerals sit on top of the skin and block harmful UVA and UVB rays. They are not linked to coral bleaching.
Some people express concern over titanium dioxide, such as irritation in the eyes or inhalation being correlated with cancer in animals, but the FDA and many other organizations consider it safe in the amounts in sunscreen. It is widely considered to pose no risk for adverse health effects.
These are the two ingredients you really want to look for. Sunscreens that are made from a base of zinc oxide or titanium dioxide will often have it labeled clearly on the front. This offers a great place to start before checking the ingredients of every sunscreen container you find.
Checking the Sunscreen Container
There are a ton of ingredients that are not considered reef-safe by experts. The most common is oxybenzone. It’s found it most major sunscreen brands. You can flip over your sunscreen to check for this ingredient, among the others on this list:
Oxybenzone
Octinoxate
Octocrylene
Homosalate
4-methylbenzylidene camphor
PABA
Parabens
Triclosan
Nano-sized particles (we often find labels such as “non-nano” or “micro” sized to be good)
Microplastics like exfoliating beads
We know, it’s a long list. But there are a lot of sunscreens that are safe for both coral reefs and your skin. For what it’s worth we also steer clear of aerosolized sunscreen. Aerosols often use isobutane which has been foudn to contribute to climate change, and the inhalation of any chemicals or minerals is just not good for you.
Our Favorite Reef-Safe Sunscreens
Okay, that’s a lot of information. A ton of chemicals and ingredients to check. We’ve done some work for you. Here are a few we love.
All Good
All good is a rad company in general. A climate-neutral certified business and women-owned, the Californian company excels at making nature-friendly products beyond just sunscreen. This is the sunscreen we use, and our favorite sunscreen for surfing. Check out their all natural sunscreen and don’t pass on their lip protection, skin care line, and deodorant!
Badger Sunscreen
Badger makes several types of sunscreen specifically for adventurers and sport. With zinc oxide, it sticks on the skin while surfing impressively well! They use less than 9 ingredients in all of their products and are hypoallergenic. The container is also reusable for other things!
Thinkbaby Sunscreen
As the name suggests, this is actually sunscreen for babies. It’s vegan, hypoallergenic, and definitely reef-safe. We used it on our kids when they were young, and still do! It’s fast absorbing, stays well in water, and is zinc oxide based. The only real downside is the plastic bottle. It is very lightly (and organically) scented.
Raw Love
Raw Love, from Maui, makes awesome natural and coral-safe sunscreen. Again based in zinc oxide, it comes in a nice little tin you can re-use. It goes on white so you can see where you missed, and rubs in clear. This is the sunscreen I use when I surf here in Mexico, and it stays on the skin super well during a surf session.