Sunscreen, a poison for the environment!

Sunscreen is undoubtedly essential to protect yourself from UV rays and avoid sunburn and major problems on the skin, but you must also be aware of the damage that wrong products can cause to the environment. That's right, a sunscreen containing dangerous chemicals, such as oxybenzone and octinoxate, is capable of causing untold damage to aquatic life.
Twenty minutes of bathing in the sea cause the dissolution of a quarter of the sunscreen used, transforming it into poison for the water and its species.

It has been calculated that in a year, about 14,000 tons of sunscreen are deposited on coral reefs: we are talking about a number that corresponds to the weight of about 3,000 elephants, to give a better idea.

The first victim is the coral. Some benzophenones, usually used UV filters, harden coral in its larval state, blocking it in its skeleton. Not only that, they also affect a micro-algae essential for the life of the coral, causing a discoloration of the coral and its possible death.

Another victim is phytoplankton, at the base of the marine food chain. Some UV filters in fact cause very high levels of stress in phytoplankton, limiting its growth and negatively affecting the life of the various marine species.

Hawaii is among the very first countries that have decided to intervene massively to protect the seabed. Hawaii Senator Mike Gabbard passed a new law in the spring of 2018 banning sunscreens containing dangerous chemicals, including oxybenzone and octinoxate.

We too can do a lot: choose less polluting biodegradable creams and ecological products that adequately protect us and do not harm the environment!