My favourite ocean-safe formula sunscreens

For those in the northern hemisphere, summer is coming and that means spending a lot of time at the beach. Hopefully you’re being sun-safe and applying sunscreen throughout the day... but have you ever stopped to think whether or not it was bad for the planet?

There is growing evidence that points to ingredients in chemical sunscreens (like oxybenzone) having the potential to be very dangerous to wildlife. In fact, oxybenzone can damage coral DNA and is damaging to sea urchin, fish, and mammals! Sunscreen pollution can definitely be a threat to our oceans -parts of Mexico have banned products with oxybenzone. Hawaii Legislature just passed a bill to ban sunscreens containing oxybenzone and octinoxate, effective Jan 1, 2021.​

As a marine biologist who spends a lot of time in the water, I’ve seen the slicks of oil left on the water’s surface after a day on the beach. And while numerous factors can impact marine life beyond sunscreen, choosing an ocean-safe formula is one way we as consumers can help keep our water, animals and reefs healthy! There are quite a few eco-conscious companies with formulas that are less detrimental to the underwater environment. Here are some of my favorite…

• Stream2Sea is a line of biodegradable sunscreens that also has hair and skin care items and have passed numerous independent, clinical eco-toxicity tests! They also have travel packets travel kits for you to try them out. These are my favourite of theirs:​
  

• Moo Goo  is an Aussie company that does more than just provide sun care! All ingredients are listed on the website which makes you realize exactly what is going on your skin! 
• 
  
• ​Eco is all natural, doesn't irritate (my) sensitive skin, and, as with so many of these zinc oxide based products, a little goes a long way.  
  ​
• Surf Yogis  is made with all natural ingredients: chocolate, beeswax, zinc oxide, and coconut oil. Designed to handle the hot (and wet!) conditions in Bali, it's also one of the few face sunscreens that doesn't irritate my skin. 
  ​
• ​Green People is a UK-based company that focuses on natural and organic products that are never tested on animals. They are partnered up with Marine Conservation Society to highlight sunscreen’s impact on the marine environment! For those who like a sun lotion with tan accelerator, they have that too! See my favourite product of theirs here:

​

​

•  Raw Elements has the fantastic tagline of “your skin, our ocean, one sunscreen,” and their Eco Formula 30 is water-resistant past 80 minutes, non-GMO, and is never tested on animals.

There's a new organic sunscreen that recently caught my attention, too: the organic reef safe sunscreen from SandCloud. It's made from natural ingredients, is SPF 35, and protects me from harmful UVA/UVB rays. I'll be buying my tub soon and I'll give it my full review on the blog! 

A quick plug about SandCloud: 10% of profits are donated to their Marine Life Partners, and they provide high-quality products that in turn help our oceans. That's a win-win in my book. I support their mission so much I even became a brand ambassador, so be ready to see me repping some SandCloud accessories... like their "Save the Fishies" glass and wood waterbottle. Though I did notice a lack of shark gear... maybe a TFUI x SandCloud collab in the future? What do you say, SC?

​With so many ocean- friendly formulas available, you don’t need to sacrifice the health of your skin to help the reefs. If your favorite sunscreen isn’t on this list, check its ingredients! Some common ingredients to avoid are octinoxate, oxybenzone, octocrylene, butylparaben, and 4-methylbenzylidine camphor. For a full list of potentially harmful ingredients, see the one provided by Haereticus Environmental Laboratory.

What's YOUR favourite reef-safe sunscreen?

This is a non-sponsored blog post | All opinions are my own | Affiliate links