Your Two-Second Guide to Reef-Safe Sunscreen (Yes, It Matters)

ICYMI, our coral reefs are in a not-so-great place right now—as in, they're dying at an alarmingly fast rate. And while a lot of that has to do with climate change and rising ocean temps, some of the damage also has to do with sunscreen. Yup, I'm talking about the sunscreen that you (hopefully?) slather on your face body while spending the day at the beach or swimming in the ocean. And if you've ever heard of something called "reef-safe" sunscreen, this probably isn't news to you—sunscreen, while very necessary and very good for our human bodies, isn't great for the ~ocean bodies~, so let's talk about the SPFs that you should be using instead, k?

What sunscreen is safe for coral reefs?

Okay, so even though they may be perfectly safe for humans, certain chemicals that are commonly used in conventional sunscreen—specifically oxybenzone and octinoxate—can accumulate in coral tissue and make them sick (and yes, coral is a living thing, so it can become "sick"). When coral gets sick, it often turns white, or “bleaches," and then dies. And not to be an alarmist or anything, but it’s estimated that up to 14,000 tons (!!!) of sunscreen with these chemicals get washed into coral reefs every year. Umm, that's a lot of dead and dying coral.

How do I know if my sunscreen is reef safe?

TBH it's kinda unclear. The term "reef-safe" isn’t actually regulated, so you can’t just assume any old sunscreen bottle with those words slapped on the label is actually safe for reefs (wild, I know.) That said, mineral sunscreens that use mineral or physical UV blockers, like zinc oxide or titanium dioxide, are considered are safer for coral reefs. And because I know you don't have time to read every ingredient label you come across, I came up with this convenient list of the 12 best reef-safe sunscreens to try this summer. Each one uses mineral blockers to provide SPF 30 or more (the minimum amount recommend by dermatologists) and is water-resistant too.