It’s more important than ever to buy organic sunscreens. Not only are the chemicals in traditional sunscreen potentially harmful to your body, however they are also killing coral reefs worldwide.
Four ingredients commonly found in sunscreens – parabens, cinnamate, benzophenone, and a camphor derivative – can awaken dormant viruses in the symbiotic algae, called zooxanthellae, which provide coral with food energy through photosynthesis and contribute to the organism’s vibrant colour. Without zooxanthellae the coral will turn white and die.
These four sunscreen chemicals cause the viruses to replicate until their algae host explodes, spilling viruses into the surrounding seawater where it infects neighbouring coral communities.
An estimated 5,000 metric tons of sunscreen wash off swimmers each year. Look for sunscreens with the “reef safe” label or ones that use titanium dioxide and zinc oxide (in at least 4 %) as their only active ingredients.