Best for anti-aging

Manda Organic Sun Paste

View details
$15 at Walmart

View details

Another great reef-safe sunscreen

Cocokind Daily SPF

View details

Show more

To help you start your journey to safer sun exposure, I’ve rounded up some of the best reef-safe sunscreens you can buy online. Not only do these options use sunscreen ingredients that are safe for coral reefs and marine life, but they’re also highly rated and loved by the real people who use them. I also spoke with a board-certified dermatologist to help explain reef-safe sunscreen and how you can protect both yourself and the environment. 

Read more:

Show less

This SPF 30 sunscreen from Babo Botanicals contains non-nano zinc oxide as its main ingredient. Rather than relying on chemical protection, zinc oxide provides a physical barrier between you and the sun. Since this option rubs in clear, you won’t have to worry about rocking a white sheen at the beach this summer. It’s also hypoallergenic and fragrance-free — making it ideal for sensitive skin — and it contains a vitamin- and antioxidant-rich blend that hydrates your skin and helps protect it from sun damage.

Show expert take Show less

Show less

Supergoop was one of the first companies to create a sunscreen made without oxybenzone — one of the main culprits of ocean pollution. Years later, the company has remained true to its mission. This sunscreen is reef-safe, cruelty-free and loaded with skin-hydrating compounds like frankincense and meadowfoam seed oil. Made with the face in mind, it goes on completely clear, even with a high SPF 40. If you want to use it as your daily sunscreen, it also functions well as a makeup primer.

Show expert take Show less

Show less

Not only is this SPF 50 sunscreen reef-safe, but it also has an almost completely organic ingredient list. It’s made with coconut oil, beeswax, cocoa butter and thanaka — an antioxidant-rich ingredient from Myanmar that reportedly has anti-fungal, anti-acne and anti-aging properties. While it can go on kind of thick, users say that it blends in nicely and lasts all day, even through intense water activities like surfing. 

Show expert take Show less

Show less

Another physical sunscreen, the Daily SPF from Cocokind combines non-nano zinc oxide with blue phytoplankton and microalgae — two ingredients from the sea — that help protect your skin from the sun’s rays and other stressors and age-accelerators like pollution and blue light. So not only does this SPF 32 sunscreen protect you from sunburn, but it also helps prevent dark spots, fine lines and wrinkles. Most users say it blends in well, leaving minimal residue and no greasy feel behind.

Show expert take Show less

“Reef safe sunscreen keeps ocean life happy and does not contain known to harm coral reefs,” says Chimento. She explains that most reef-safe sunscreens rely on physical UV-blocking ingredients like titanium dioxide and oxide that provide a barrier between your skin and the sun, deflecting the sun’s rays before they hit the skin. However, there are chemical sunscreens that are free of the major chemicals known to cause harm to coral reefs. This is where diligently checking labels becomes even more important.

Chimento points out that all types of approved sunscreens will protect your skin and are effective at blocking UV rays. But while more research is needed to determine the health implications of certain chemicals in sunscreen, reef-safe sunscreen may be a safer alternative for people who are worried about long-term exposure to chemical ingredients.

Unfortunately, one major issue is that the terms “reef-safe” and “reef-friendly” aren’t regulated by any governing authorities, so you can’t always take a brand’s word for it. According to Save the Reef, a charity organization founded by Karmagawa, it’s good practice to check the ingredient list and avoid any sunscreens that include any of the following ingredients:

• Oxybenzone
• Octinoxate
• Octocrylene
• Homosalate
• 4-methylbenzylidene camphor
• PABA
• Parabens
• Triclosan
• Any form of microplastic, such as “exfoliating beads”

Particle size also matters. Nanoparticles and nano-sized zinc or titanium can build up and become toxic to coral reefs — and potentially, humans — in high concentrations. As a general rule, if a sunscreen doesn’t specify that it’s non-nano, you can assume that it’s better to avoid it.

//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
!function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s)
{if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod?
n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};
if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version=’2.0′;
n.queue=();t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0;
t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)(0);
s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)}(window, document,’script’,
‘https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/fbevents.js’);
fbq(‘set’, ‘autoConfig’, false, ‘789754228632403’);
fbq(‘init’, ‘789754228632403’);

Xem chi tiết và đăng ký