Eco-Concious Beauty: Sunscreens!
Hello!
Welcome to part one of the Eco-Consious Beauty series! For anyone who has not read my previous post, the Eco-Conscious Beauty series is a group of in-depth posts where I break down the ingredients in your everyday beauty products and their impact on both you and the environment. This week's topic is a broad group: sunscreens! There are many different ingredients used as sunscreens, but sadly many of them are quite harmful and are being found in increasing amounts in ocean water. For this post, I will give you a list of all the commonly used harmful sunscreens, give you the run down on each one, and then include a list of my personal favorite reef safe, ocean safe, YOU safe sunscreens!
Toxic Sun Screens:
Oxybenzone (BP-3), Benzophenone (BP-2)
According to the EWG, 80% of chemical sunscreens are made with Oxybenzone. Test this statistic for yourself! Pick up any bottle of drugstore sunscreen or skincare product with SPF and it will most likely list Oxybenzone (or Avobenzone, which we will discuss later) as the active ingredient. So what? What makes Oxybenzone that bad? Let's start with the fact that when we put it onto our skin it soaks in, and can be detected in urine. There would be less of a human concern if it just washed off the skin and did not accumulate in our body as a toxin. According to this study by the CDC, "Following short-term application of
10% benzophenone-3 lotion, men and women had mean
urinary levels of 140 and 60 μg/L, respectively (Janjua et
al., 2004)." Now, we can ask what is it doing while it is present in our body? The EWG, among other toxicology experts are quite concerned about the mass use of Oxybenzone because it has been linked to hormone disruption and potential to raise your risk of skin cancer. (which personally, I find quite ironic because you're applying it to decrease your risk of skin cancer... or so you thought) This study helps establish the link between Endometriosis and the use of Benzephone derivatives such as Oxybenzone (BP-3). The Environmental Working Group rates Oxybenzone an eight on their toxicity scale to ten. Significant data points to the harmful effects in humans.
If it can be linked to these issues in human bodies, what can Oxybenzone do to animals. Oxybenzone is being found in increasingly larger amounts in water, especially around reefs explored for tourism. These reefs serve as a grounding point for local beach economies, funding jobs and giving people a place to observe the ocean and all its beauty. In this study by Craig Downs, Ph.D, "[they] found that oxybenzone induces coral bleaching by lowering the temperature at which corals will bleach when exposed to prolonged heat stress. [They] also showed that oxybenzone is genotoxic, meaning that it damages coral DNA as well as induces severe and lethal deformities. Most alarming, we determined that oxybenzone also acts as an endocrine disruptor, causing the coral larvae to inappropriately encase itself in its own stony skeleton — at a time in its development when it should not even have a skeleton." However, is there even enough Oxybenzone in the water to create these problems? Yes, far more than is needed to cause these issues. Mr. Downs says, "Our research demonstrated that these pathologies can occur at concentrations as low as 62 parts per trillion. For perspective, beaches in Hawaii have oxybenzone levels higher than 700 parts per trillion early in the morning before swimmers even arrive. Other emerging research is showing that oxybenzone concentrations on nearshore reefs around the world are commonly between 100 parts per trillion and 100 parts per billion — well within the range of being a significant environmental threat." (found here) on top of all this, it is not just coral affected by Oxybenzone. Fish, sea urchins, algae, and mammals are also at serious risk.
There is too much evidence to ignore the fact that Oxybenzone is harmful to humans, and most definitely to marine wildlife. Be sure to look for both Oxybenzone and Benzophenone as active ingredients before you purchase any body product!
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| NOAA: National Ocean Service |
If it can be linked to these issues in human bodies, what can Oxybenzone do to animals. Oxybenzone is being found in increasingly larger amounts in water, especially around reefs explored for tourism. These reefs serve as a grounding point for local beach economies, funding jobs and giving people a place to observe the ocean and all its beauty. In this study by Craig Downs, Ph.D, "[they] found that oxybenzone induces coral bleaching by lowering the temperature at which corals will bleach when exposed to prolonged heat stress. [They] also showed that oxybenzone is genotoxic, meaning that it damages coral DNA as well as induces severe and lethal deformities. Most alarming, we determined that oxybenzone also acts as an endocrine disruptor, causing the coral larvae to inappropriately encase itself in its own stony skeleton — at a time in its development when it should not even have a skeleton." However, is there even enough Oxybenzone in the water to create these problems? Yes, far more than is needed to cause these issues. Mr. Downs says, "Our research demonstrated that these pathologies can occur at concentrations as low as 62 parts per trillion. For perspective, beaches in Hawaii have oxybenzone levels higher than 700 parts per trillion early in the morning before swimmers even arrive. Other emerging research is showing that oxybenzone concentrations on nearshore reefs around the world are commonly between 100 parts per trillion and 100 parts per billion — well within the range of being a significant environmental threat." (found here) on top of all this, it is not just coral affected by Oxybenzone. Fish, sea urchins, algae, and mammals are also at serious risk.
There is too much evidence to ignore the fact that Oxybenzone is harmful to humans, and most definitely to marine wildlife. Be sure to look for both Oxybenzone and Benzophenone as active ingredients before you purchase any body product!
Avobenzone, Octocrylene, Octisalate, Homosalate, and Octinoxate
While Avobenzone and Octocrylene may not be as toxic to humans as Oxybenzone, they have both been linked to the worsening of acne. For people already struggling with acne, Avobenzone and Octocrylene are both known to cause heat reactions on the skin which increases redness and aggravates breakouts. It may even cause past breakouts to resurface! For all my acne suffering friends, I will give you my personal advice and say that the only sunscreens that have ever worked for me are the non-nano Titanium Dioxide sunscreens. They leave a bit of a white cast on your face for a bit, but let it sit for a few minutes before you put anything else on, and gently rub it in some more after that waiting period. The white cast should roll right off. However, everyone's acne experience is different, and what works for me may not work for you.
So Avobenzone, Octocrylene, Homosalate, Octisalate and Octinoxate are generally safe for humans, but what about animals? Sadly, they exhibit the same effects as Oxybenzone, especially in corals. all of these chemicals have significant studies backing up their toxicity to marine life, so what sunscreens can you use? Is there even a sunscreen left?
Yes!
Safe Sunscreens: My Favorite Brands
There are two mineral based sunscreens that are both safe for humans and ocean creatures, non-nano Titanium Dioxide and non-nano Zinc Oxide. Notice the non-nano part, this is key to the toxicity. Non-nano means that the particulars are bigger than a certain size, therefore they can't be absorbed through human skin. Beware of nano Zinc Oxide and Titanium Dioxide because both of these are harmful to marine life because of the small particle sizes.
My all time favorite reef safe sunscreen is Stream2Sea Sport Sunscreen in SPF 30. This sunscreen is biodegradable, and tested reef safe! A little goes a long way, and it has never caused breakouts. In all actuality, my breakouts actually disappeared when I was wearing it, but this can be attributed to the fact that I was in the sun and salt water all day. My acne disappears in tropical climates.
Need a higher SPF? Goddess Garden makes a Sport Sunscreen in SPF 50, so no worries for you paler folks. I personally haven't used Goddess Garden's sunscreens because I've been so happy with Stream2Sea but I've heard great review from people who have used it. Goddess Garden uses non-nano Titanium Dioxide and Zinc Oxide as their UVA/UVB protectant, so you can rest assured that this sunscreen is safe for you and the fishies!
Thank you so much for reading! I hope that I've been able to arm you with the information you need to make smart decisions about what you put on your body and in the water. Be the example. Be the trendsetter. Be the change. We have the power to protect and restore our world's oceans, if we choose to do so.
Love,
Chloe
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