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The sun is out and it's almost time to hit the beach. You know you wouldn't do so without sunscreen, but how good is the sunscreen for that ocean water in which you're recreating? Not so good, it turns out.
Researchers estimate that between 4,000 to 6,000 metric tons of toxic sunscreen washes off swimmers into the oceans every year. Chemicals such as Octocrylene, Butylparaben, Octylmethoxycinnamate, and Benzophenone-3, which are present in non-biodegradable sunscreen brands, accumulate in the oceans and these chemicals don't break down easily and are harmful to marine life, particularly coral reefs. If you're concerned about the effects your sunscreen is having on the sea, you might consider Reef Safe Suncare by Beach Buff, which was just named as "an ideal sunscreen for both humans and ocean creatures," by Jean-Michel Cousteau's Ocean Futures Society.
Reef Safe sunscreens underwent a series of independent laboratory tests to authenticate the biodegradability of the products. The tests determined the products biodegrade, on average, less than 90 days in seawater and freshwater. There was no evidence detected of toxicity to microorganisms and other sea life.
Research also found that Reef Safe's waterproof formula allows less than three percent of the product to come off in water, which compares favorably to the 25 percent of mass-market brand lotions that come off in water. Read more here.
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