![]() ![]() The term "reef-safe" isn’t actually regulated, so you can’t just assume any old sunscreen bottle with those words slapped on the label is actually safe for reefs (wild, I know.) That said, mineral sunscreens that use mineral or physical UV blockers, like zinc oxide or titanium dioxide, are considered are safer for coral reefs. How do I know if my sunscreen is reef safe? Umm, that's a lot of dead and dying coral. And not to be an alarmist or anything, but it’s estimated that up to 14,000 tons (!!!) of sunscreen with these chemicals get washed into coral reefs every year. When coral gets sick, it often turns white, or “bleaches," and then dies. Okay, so even though they may be perfectly safe for humans, certain chemicals that are commonly used in conventional sunscreen-specifically oxybenzone and octinoxate- can accumulate in coral tissue and make them sick (and yes, coral is a living thing, so it can become "sick"). And if you've ever heard of something called "reef-safe" sunscreen, this probably isn't news to you-sunscreen, while very necessary and very good for our human bodies, isn't great for the ~ocean bodies~, so let's talk about the SPFs that you should be using instead, k? What sunscreen is safe for coral reefs? Yup, I'm talking about the sunscreen that you (hopefully?) slather on your face body while spending the day at the beach or swimming in the ocean. And while a lot of that has to do with climate change and rising ocean temps, some of the damage also has to do with sunscreen. It’s super water-resistant (it can even be applied underwater!), 100% made in the USA, and packaged using recycled and recyclable materials.ICYMI, our coral reefs are in a not-so-great place right now-as in, they're dying at an alarmingly fast rate. The active ingredient in Raw Elements is non-nano zinc oxide (easy to pronounce!) and it contains other skin-conditioning all-natural ingredients like vitamins and extracts. We got to researching for a product that’s gentle on humans and gentle on reefs and found Raw Elements, a mineral sunscreen brand created by an ocean lifeguard. Yay for Hawaii! It was a step in the right direction but unfortunately, those two chemicals aren’t the only offenders, and the law doesn’t apply (pun intended) to sunscreens that our visitors bring with them from out of state.īecause we’re committed to taking care of the natural resources that, you know, make our entire business possible, and because we know that education is the first step in changing people’s behaviors, we decided to stock all of our Holo Holo Kauai boat tours and Niihau boat tours with a truly reef-safe sunscreen, for our customers and employees alike. ![]() state to ban the sale of sunscreens containing those two common chemicals, oxybenzone, and octinoxate. In July 2018, Hawaii became the first U.S. ![]() These consequences were never intended, nevertheless, they couldn’t be ignored. Other studies have found chemical sunscreen ingredients to be harmful to other marine life including fish, shrimp, and sea urchins and, not surprisingly, to humans ourselves. This bolstered the findings of a 2008 study by Italian scientists and published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, which found that commonly used sunscreen ingredients, including (but not limited to) oxybenzone, caused coral bleaching in reefs across the globe, including in the Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, and the Pacific Ocean-even at low concentrations. In a 2016 study by authors from NOAA and other institutions, it was shown that baby coral exposed to oxybenzone and octinoxate (two of the most common chemical sunscreen compounds) exhibited signs of distress, including coral bleaching-a condition that leaves coral vulnerable to infection and prevents it from getting the nutrients it needs to survive-as well as DNA damage, and abnormalities in their growth and skeleton. In the last fifteen years, scientific research has made it clear that the chemical sunscreens humans have been using are having serious negative consequences on the world’s coral reef, and the damage is especially pronounced where reefs are frequently visited, such as in Hawaii. In addition to providing nesting grounds and homes for thousands of species, they also help stabilize the ocean floor, prevent coastal erosion, minimize storm surge damage, contribute to the mitigation of climate change, filter and clean seawater, and support tourism. « Click here to return to Holo Holo Charters BlogĬoral reefs are some of the most diverse ecosystems on the planet and their survival is inextricably linked to our own. ![]()
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