5 Things to Know About Reef-Safe Sunscreen

“Reef-safe” is an unregulated marketing term The label means nothing legally. The real concern is two specific chemicals: oxybenzone and octinoxate.

Oxybenzone and octinoxate harm coral and fish Studies show these chemicals bleach coral and disrupt fish hormones. Hawaii, Key West, and Palau have banned them.

Mineral sunscreens are the safer alternative Look for zinc oxide or titanium dioxide as the active ingredient. These sit on your skin and don’t wash off as endocrine disruptors.

Non-nano zinc oxide is the gold standard The particles are large enough that fish don’t ingest them. This is the most effective reef-safe option.

Your sunscreen alone won’t save the reef Warming water and agricultural runoff cause more damage. But swapping to mineral sunscreen is an easy, cheap change that helps.