Most Toxic Sunscreens to Avoid
- Walgreens Dry Touch Sunscreen Lotion, SPF 100.
- Panama Jack Sunscreen Continuous Spray, SPF 100.
- Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch Sunscreen Lotion, SPF 85+
- Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch Sunscreen Lotion, SPF 100+
- Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Body Mist Sunscreen Spray, SPF 100+
List of Harmful Chemicals in Sunscreen and Body Care Products
- Benzophenone-3, also known as Oxybenzone.
- Avobenzone.
- Cylcopentasiloxane / Cyclomethicone.
- Formaldehyde, Diazolidinyl urea, Quaternium-15, DMDM Hydantoin and Hydroxymethylglycinate.
- Homosalate.
- Methylisothiazolinone.
- Nanoparticles.
- Octocrylene.
Biodegradable sunscreen means it breaks down naturally in the environment over a reasonably short period of time. The NIVEA Protect & Moisture range are all biodegradable sunscreens that are also reef safe.
Chemicals. Sunscreen formulas contain dangerous ingredients which are why environmentalists recommend steering clear of spray sunscreens, as they are easily inhaled. Both of these chemicals pose a serious threat to marine life and have the power to devastate the ocean's coral reefs.
Damages to Fish and other Marine LifeToxic sunscreens also directly harm fish including parrotfish, wrasse, eels, and more. Oxybenzone and Octinoxate can impair neurological and reproductive abilities, increase levels of disease and miscarriages, and act as hormone disruptors impacting the immune system.
Should you avoid oxybenzone?
- Sheer Zinc Mineral Sunscreen SPF 50.
- Sensitive Skin Sunscreen SPF 30+
- Baby Continuous Protection Sensitive Skin Sunscreen SPF 50.
- UV Pure Face and Body Physical Sunscreen SPF 47.
- Eryfotona Actinica Ultralight Emulsion SPF 50+
7. Zinc oxide. Zinc oxide is the second GRASE sunscreen ingredient, allowed in concentrations up to 25 percent. Studies show it's safe, with no evidence of skin penetration, even after repeated use.
HONOLULU— Sunscreens containing two harmful petrochemicals, avobenzone and octocrylene, would be banned from sale in Hawai'i under a bill passed today by the Hawai'i Senate. This bill follows a 2018 law banning oxybenzone and octinoxate sunscreens.
This is one of the popular Neutrogena sunscreen products. And it's made from one of the “alternative†sunscreen ingredients of zinc oxide… So that means it must be reef-safe… In the case of this Neutrogena sheer zinc sunscreen, it does NOT contain oxybenzone OR octinoxate.
Make sure your sunscreen does not contain the following harmful substances on the "HEL list:
- Oxybenzone.
- Octinoxate.
- Octocrylene.
- Homosalate.
- 4-methylbenzylidene camphor.
- PABA.
- Parabens.
- Triclosan.
They cover and protect you while causing no harm to the reef. And while the Cancer Council of Queensland recommends the use of water-resistant sunscreens with SPF 30 or higher, they don't concern themselves with whether the sunscreen's ingredients are harmful to the reef - or to our skin.
8 Clean Sunscreens
- The Organic Pharmacy Cellular Protection Sun Cream SPF 30.
- UnSun Mineral Tinted Face Sunscreen SPF 30.
- The Organic Pharmacy Cellular Protection Sun Cream SPF 50.
- Saie Sunvisor.
- Beautycounter Countersun Mineral Sunscreen Lotion SPF 30.
- Beautycounter Dew Skin Moisturizing Coverage.
Zinc oxide sunscreens work by scattering the sun's rays, which prevents potentially damaging ultraviolet radiation from getting to the skin. Doctors call sunscreens with zinc oxide “physical†sunscreens because they sit atop the skin and physically block the rays.
The two most common ingredients in mineral sunscreens, titanium dioxide and zinc oxide, are the only sunscreen ingredients generally recognized as safe and effective by the FDA. “[Mineral sunscreens] are much safer for people who are concerned about long-term exposure to chemical ingredients,” Ploch says.
Sunscreens that use titanium dioxide and zinc oxide are known as "non-chemical" because they use physical blockers to protect against UV radiation. However, the weight of current scientific evidence suggests nano sunscreens do not present a danger.
Common ingredients like oxybenzone, octinoxate, nano titanium dioxide, and nano zinc oxide can harm coral reefs and sea creatures. For example, products containing non-nano zinc oxide are generally considered safe for the environment.
Zinc and soluble zinc compounds are harmful to the environment at current levels of exposure, the Canadian government has provisionally concluded. In particular, the substances may pose a risk to aquatic organisms through release of zinc to water from metal mining effluent.
Zinc Oxide is a mineral sunscreen that sits on top of your skin. It scatters, reflects, and absorbs harmful UVA and UVB rays.
While chemical sunscreens work by absorbing into the skin and then absorbing UV rays, the particles in mineral-based sunscreens sit on top of the skin's surface and prevent UV rays from entering. Mineral sunscreens typically use zinc oxide and titanium dioxide as the two main active ingredients.
“Zinc oxide is considered one of the best sunscreen ingredients we have access to. Not only does it block both UVA and UVB rays – which are responsible for causing burns, skin damage, and skin cancer — but it's completely photostable and resistant to water.
The benefit of nano-zinc is that the particles absorb UV light and scatter visible light, providing greater SPF - while slightly larger Non-nano particles offer greater UVA protection - so the combination delivers a high SPF rating along with UVA protection.
One disadvantage of ZnO and TiO2 particles is that, when their size is in the range of a micrometre, they are visible on the skin as an opaque white layer and this resulted in reluctance of consumers to use sunscreens products containing them.
It occurs naturally as the mineral zincite, but most zinc oxide is produced synthetically. It is also widely used to treat a variety of other skin conditions, in products such as baby powder and barrier creams to treat diaper rashes, calamine cream, anti-dandruff shampoos, and antiseptic ointments.
A properly installed zinc roof can last beyond 100 years, compared to 25 years for asphalt shingles. Zinc owes this impressive longevity to its ability to heal itself. Toxic chemicals in the shingles then leach into the soil. Conversely, zinc is nearly 100 percent recyclable.
Crude zinc oxide is a yellow-gray granular solid with no odor. It is insoluble in water.
