{"id":59794,"date":"2024-11-26T09:51:52","date_gmt":"2024-11-26T01:51:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/malaysia\/?p=59794"},"modified":"2025-05-16T10:54:26","modified_gmt":"2025-05-16T02:54:26","slug":"most-suncream-is-terrible-for-ocean-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/malaysia\/story\/59794\/most-suncream-is-terrible-for-ocean-life\/","title":{"rendered":"Most suncream is terrible for ocean life"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Here\u2019s how to stay safe in the sun, without damaging the environment<\/h2>\n\n
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For many in the UK, the smell of suncream heralds the beginning of summer, or a long-awaited holiday. And in some places, suncream is a daily essential, certainly in the sunnier months, to stave off sunburn, and protect against skin damage and the dangers of skin cancer.

But the chemicals in suncreams are washing off people\u2019s skin and harming ocean life,\u00a0particularly coral reefs<\/a>. Even taking a shower or a bath will wash the chemicals into the natural water system and into the sea.

Here\u2019s what you need to know.<\/p>\n\n

What does suncream do to marine life?<\/h3>\n\n

Most suncreams are chemical-based, containing UV-blocking chemicals like oxybenzone (sometimes labelled benzophenone-3) and octinoxate.

Chemical-based suncreams are easily absorbed into the skin and don\u2019t leave a white residue, but they are also easily absorbed by much smaller and more vulnerable sealife, from coral reefs to mussels, fish and dolphins.

These particular chemicals in suncream are thought to disrupt coral\u2019s ability to reproduce and grow. Oxybenzone acts as a fatal\u00a0endocrine disruptor<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 causing baby coral to encase itself in its own skeleton and die \u2013 and is harmful in adult coral species, eventually leading to mass bleaching.

Coral bleaching<\/a>\u00a0was thought to be mainly due to climate change \u2013 a consequence of warming oceans. But researchers now know that the chemicals in suncream are a significant contributor to the problem.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n

How big is the problem? And where is most affected?<\/h3>\n\n

One tiny drop of oxybenzone in the equivalent of six-and-a-half Olympic-sized swimming pools of water will already do damage to corals,\u00a0according to a 2015 study.<\/a>\u00a0In the Caribbean and Hawaii, the study found concentrations that were twelve times higher than this harmful threshold.

It\u2019s thought that\u00a014,000 tons of suncream washes into the ocean every year<\/a>. A massive 3,500 brands of suncream contain these chemicals.

Given the locations people tend to use suncream, this chemical contamination happens often precisely where it can do the most damage, such as near coral reefs. But even if you don\u2019t use suncream near coral reefs or near the sea, it also washes off in the shower, and makes its way to the oceans from there. Like with\u00a0microplastics<\/a>, it\u2019s very hard to filter out the chemicals that suncream contains before they can harm our environment.<\/p>\n\n

What\u2019s being done to stop the damage?<\/h3>\n\n

According to the study above,\u00a090% of coral reefs in the Caribbean have disappeared<\/a>\u00a0since the 1980s. And while not all the damage may have been caused by suncream alone, many places around the world are now creating rules that ban the use of reef-harming chemical suncreams.

Lawmakers have figured that the best way to prevent the chemicals in suncream from reaching and bleaching) coral reefs is to stop them at source.

In May 2018, Hawaii passed a bill banning the sale of oxybenzone and octinoxate-containing suncreams. Again in 2018, the small Pacific Island nation of Palau also banned the sale or use of creams harmful to coral reefs.

A number of\u00a0other destinations<\/a>\u00a0have made similar rules against chemical suncream, such as some Caribbean Islands and ecotourism spots in Mexico.

And more and more companies are creating what they call\u00a0\u201cReef Safe\u201d sunscreen<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 but it\u2019s worth digging a little deeper to ensure these\u00a0really are as safe for coral reefs as they claim<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n

Tips for choosing reef-safe suncream<\/h3>\n\n