Sustainable Sun Care

PROTECTION FRON THE SUNS POWERFUL RAYS IN AN EXTREMELY IMPORTANT PART OF A SUSTAINABLE AND HEALTHY LIFE.

What can you do to protect yourself and the environment in the sun?

Conventional sunscreens have powerful chemicals to keep your skin safe from UV rays. However, the chemicals in these sunscreens can cause a huge amount of damage to marine life. One of the chemicals that can impact ocean life is

Oxybenzone.

It is a chemical filter commonly found in conventional sunscreens.

These chemicals can inhibit corals, cause them to bleach and promote the growth of deadly viruses within corals.

They can be detrimental even in tiny quantities.

THREE TOP TIPS FOR STAYING SUN SUSTAINABLE:

Stay out of the sun in the hottest parts of the day (what else are siestas for?) Enjoy your coffee in the cool serenity of the shade.

Dress to protect from the suns rays (light linens, cotton, naturally fibered clothing) that will prevent some UV radiation.

Use reef friendly, biodegradable sunscreen, a great solution and alternative to conventional sunscreens.

And there are amazing solutions when you know where to look… So what can you do when looking for a sunscreen?

1. Check the ingredients. Oxybenzone is one that you want to avoid. Other chemicals to watch out for:Octinoxate, Octocrylene, 4-methylbenzylidene, Butyparaben:

2. Buy sunscreen from a company that you trust. Why is this important? As well as your own safety as priority to buy quality sunscreen, there are currently no regulations on what constitutes “reef friendly”. The onus is on customers to check the environmental credentials, of companies calling themselves “eco”. We can help you work this out.

Coral reefs are richly biodiverse underwater ecosystems that support an enormous amount of life. Not only is it important to protect these delicate habitats for conservation, but millions of people depend on the fish as their primary food source. Coral reefs act as nurseries for fish, and if we damage and degrade the reef system, we damage a valuable food source.

What do we recommend?

Our sunscreen of choice is People4Ocean. It is a rich and luxurious product with true eco credentials.

The reason we adore People4Ocean is because it is an eco business that fully checks out with us. Plus a percentage of profits going directly back to coral restoration projects. The team behind the product includes marine biologists and luxury skincare developers. Lee has seen their work in The Seychelles. He knows their credentials first hand.

We have no sponsorship deals with People 4 Ocean. Why are we promoting them? They have created a product that is protecting what we are also working so hard to protect and to mitigate a problem associated with tourism. Of course we want to promote environmentally positive products! A percentage of their profits is also being reinvested back into coral restoration. It’s a great business plan and by promoting their product we hope we are doing some good.

We also know how difficult it can be finding a solution to 101 different environmental issues at once. This is a product that we are very proud to suggest as something that is safe, luxurious and eco safe. The plastic container is fully recyclable. Health is priority and protecting yourself, and sensitive marine ecosystems is our number one concern.

Would you like to know more?

We will publish a blog detailing a bit more about Oxybenzone, as it's journey in the public realm. Until then, here is a growing reading list, of scientific articles to feast your eyes on.

Danovaro, R., Bongiorni, L., Corinaldesi, C., Giovannelli, D., Damiani, E., Astolfi, P., … Pusceddu, A. (2008). Sunscreens Cause Coral Bleaching by Promoting Viral Infections. Environmental Health Perspectives, 116(4), 441–447. http://doi.org/10.1289/ehp.10966