While it’s certainly important to wear sunscreen that protects you from UVA as well as UVB rays, let’s take a closer look at why using green sunscreen is better for you and the environment than conventional chemical sunscreens.

Chemical and Physical Sunscreens

Conventional sunscreens often contain chemical ingredients that are designed to absorb UV rays. Chemicals such as benzophenone, oxybenzone, octinoxate (also called octyl methoxycinnamate) and homosalate are all ingredients to stay away from, as they have been known to have harmful effects on hormonal systems, not to mention their effects on the environment. Many of these chemical sunscreen ingredients have also been shown to increase absorption of pesticides.

Physical sunscreen ingredients are things like titanium dioxide and zinc oxide. These ingredients physically block the sun’s rays from reaching the skin.

Conventional Sunscreen’s Impact on Coral Reefs

Coral reefs are a critical part of the ecosystem. They are teeming with biodiversity unlike any other part of the environment. Millions of plant and animal species would not be able to survive without their natural coral habitats. Coral reefs not only house billions of creatures, they protect coastal areas from erosion and storms, recycle excess carbon, and are likely to yield important new medicines (as NOAA explains).

Coral reefs are threatened by many sources of pollution, not an insignificant pollutant being conventional sunscreen. The Journal of Environmental Health Perspectives released the results of a survey that show a connection between sunscreens and viral infections in coral reefs. These same chemical sunscreen components have a harmful bleaching effect on coral reefs. It is estimated that about 6,000 tons of sunscreen is released in coral reef areas each year by tourists.