THE BEST REEF SAFE, CRUELTY-FREE VEGAN SUNSCREENS

It’s been summer for a while, and you need to be slathering on some reef safe, cruelty-free vegan sunscreen. I have been planning to go scuba diving, since I haven’t got around to it yet this year. I did play around on the beach loads, and it was in the tropics. Gasp! No worries, though. I used sunscreen responsibly.

See, while you’re getting baked in the sun this summer, you do need to protect your skin. And while you’ve probably been protecting your skin with sunblock since you were a little kid, it’s now way past time to ask this question seriously: what is the safest sunblock to use – for the oceans and for yourself?

The Search for Sunscreen that the Coral Reefs Like

Sunblocks, or sunscreens, are guilty of causing massive damage to the environment, and to coral reefs in particular. And chemical sunscreens are not exactly great for your health, either. Now, instead of going over the super-complicated product list of existing sunscreens on the market, I thought I’d simplify my search by sticking to a few key requirements. So what did I look for? Reef safe, cruelty-free vegan sunscreens. They’re not damaging the reefs, they haven’t been lab-tested on animals, and they contain no animal products or derivatives. Are they made of natural and organic ingredients? Not always, and I’ve indicated the details accordingly. If you are able to access and purchase the very best, most natural, reef safe, cruelty-free vegan sunscreen, then that’s great. But there are other options, which, while not ideal, are definitely better than the toxic alternatives.

As always, this is an indicative list. Just suggestions, if you will. Please do your own research before putting anything on your skin or into your body. (Remember, what goes on your skin also gets absorbed into your body and affects stuff inside. So choose wisely!)

THIS POST CONTAINS AFFILIATE LINKS. PLEASE READ MY DISCLOSURE FOR MORE DETAILS.

What Are Reef Safe Sunscreen Ingredients?

First, some definitions:

Chemical VS. Mineral Sunscreen

Chemical sunscreens are not only toxic and bad for coral reefs, but they ‘absorb’ the sun’s rays like a sponge. Physical or mineral, on the other hand, sunscreen uses zinc oxide or titanium dioxide to bounce the sun’s rays back off your skin. This is not only cooler, but safer for everyone concerned.

Nano VS Non-nano

At one point, apparently, sunscreen manufacturers thought nanotechnology would come to the rescue. Physical sunscreens were made with nanoparticles, which, being very small, get ‘trapped’ in the zinc oxide and don’t penetrate the skin. Good for us, right? But, unfortunately, these nanoparticles cause quite a bit of damage to the environment and to marine life.

So, go for non nano sunscreen, which is made with zinc oxide or titanium dioxide and is not harmful to marine life.

Reef Safe Sunscreen

What is the meaning of reef safe? These sunscreens do not contain oxybenzone and octinoxate (both of which cause coral bleaching and were banned in Hawaii in 2018 and in Key West, Florida, earlier this year). They also do not contain parabens or petrolatum/mineral oil, or high concentrations of titanium dioxide. Read more here.

Vegan & Cruelty-free

Beeswax seems to be pretty common in sunscreen, so even if a brand claims to be dairy-free, it may not be vegan. So, please check the ingredients. [There are additional complicating factors, such as multinational companies testing on animals in certain countries and not others, corporations that participate in worker exploitation and ecological destruction, etc. So, your best bet is to go with small & local businesses, locally sourced products, and a strict audit of all the ingredients that make up the product.]

Earth- and Ocean-Friendly Sunscreen

Sigh, even if a sunscreen is a mineral, creamy concoction that is reef friendly, cruelty-free, vegan and it goes into the ocean and gently rocks baby corals to sleep, it may still not be eco-friendly. WHAAAAT?? Yeah, it needs to be non-toxic and biodegradable. It may not damage the reef, but it needs to also not cause any harm to the rest of the ocean.

With all that out of the way, let’s learn how to protect our skin! Let’s just try our best, ok?

First, take care of the basics: wear appropriate clothing, and protect your head with a hat or a wrap. Spend time in the shade between time in the sun (some recommend not staying in the sun for longer than 15 minutes at a stretch. This seems very subjective. But each of us knows our own skin the best, so please decide for yourself what the safe amount of time to stay in the sun is.)

After all this is taken care of, the final step is the sunscreen. You may have many questions: What are the best reef safe sunscreens? Is Sun Bum sunscreen reef safe? (Yes.) Can you buy eco friendly sunscreen at Walmart? (Yes, Walmart has reef safe sunscreens.) How is Nature’s Gate vegan sunscreen? (Pretty good.) What are the best non greasy vegan sunscreens? (See below.)

Here are the best options for you!