Sunscreen; everybody uses them, well everybody should use them!

We live in the age where people no longer misunderstood the true essence of sunscreens. Previously thes protective lotions are only associated with beaches; only to use them when we are on the beach. But now people start to realize that the sun doesn’t only necessarily exist on the beach, in fact it exists literally everywhere!

image take from: skincancer.org

Threads upon threads on social medias and articles upon articles on blogs begin educating the public on the importance of sunscreen and its benefits even on daily lives. Slowly yet effectively, sunscreens are growing to become an essential for the people when stepping out of the house.

image taken from: wellandgood.com

But did you know that your sunscreens, no matter how effective they are in blocking your dermal layers from harsh UV rays, they may potentially be a danger to the ocean life!

image taken from: nationalgeographic.com

Even though you’ve slabed on your sunscreen prior entering the waters, did you know that 12 million kilos of sunscreens got washed off from swimmers, paddlers, snorkelers surfers and other watermen and waterwomen each year?

And did you know that because of this, you may put a threat to coral reefs as some ingredients that make up sunscreen may poison the ocean’s bed?

image taken from: konaboys.com

Diving into the water using the incorrect sunscreen can cause deformities in fish and bio-accumulate in the environment, which eventually end up in the human food chain. So, in order to save both your skin and the environment, you might want to consider few things when grabbing sunscreen from the rack.

Avoid Oxybenzone, Octinoxate, Octocrylene, 4-methylbenzylidene camphor, PABA, Parabens, Triclosan and any nano-particles zinc or titanium.

image taken from: runnersworld.com

The only truly reef-friendly active ingredients are non-zano zinc oxide and non-nano titanium dioxide.

Sadly, you can’t even rely exclusively of manufacturer claims such as “reef-safe” or “reef-friendly” labels as those terms are not regulated. Only reading the label closely will point you in the right direction.

Yes, it is quite troublesome to look through the ingredients list but think about it! If the world’s deteriorates, who is responsible?