Sustainable Swaps: The Best Truly Reef-Safe Sunscreens
As we talked about in our recent blog post, when it comes to reef-safe sunscreen, packaging can be confusing. Many brands advertise as reef-safe while containing ingredients that are anything but!
The absolute best way to make sure your sunscreen is safe for the reef and your body is to check the ingredients and stick to non-nano zinc oxide and titanium dioxide. Stay away from octisalate, homosalate, avobenzone, octocrylene, PABA (aminobenzoic acid), enzacamene, oxybenzone, and octinoxate. We’ve compiled and reviewed some of the best truly reef-safe sunscreen so you can easily make the swap to products that are safer for both you and the ocean!
BEST FOR LONG DAYS ON THE WATER
MANDA
Reef-Safe · Cruelty Free
Manda has two main types of sunscreen, their organic sun creme and their sun paste. We found that both were great at staying put in plenty of sun and salt water! We love that they’ve recently added a mirror on the inside of their Organic Sun Paste’s plastic-free container to make sure we don’t miss any skin while applying on the go. In addition to skin aiding ingredients like coconut butter and shea butter, Manda also uses the unique ingredient Thanaka which has been used for over 2000 years by Burmese people to protect skin. They also have great resources on their blog about why a physical sunscreen is better for both the ocean and our personal health as consumers.
Active Ingredients: 20% Non-nano zinc oxide
AVA SOL
Reef-Safe · Cruelty Free
We are long time fans of Ava Sol Sunscreen. Their Surfer’s Barrier Sticks come in plastic-free bio-based tubes made from recycled paper. The sunscreen is hand-crafted in small batches and includes skin care ingredients like coconut oil, Vitamin E, shea butter, jojoba oil, and manuka oil.
You won’t find any nanoparticles, GMOs, parabens, petrochemicals, or synthetic chemicals in their products!
They’re also certified as a USDA 100% Bio-Based Product which identifies products made from renewable resources composed wholly or significantly of biological ingredients.
Active Ingredients:
30SPF: Non-Nano Zinc Oxide 24.5%
50 SPF: Non-Nano Zinc Oxide 24.5% Titanium Dioxide 6%
RAW ELEMENTS
Reef-Safe · Cruelty Free
RAW Elements is another great option for long days on the water. We really like the Tinted Face Moisturizer which is completely plastic-free, has 23% non-nano zinc oxide as the only active ingredient, and also has a skincare element, with inactive ingredients like green tea, black tea, coffee bean (caffeine is great for your skin), and Vitamin E. We also love that they are continuously working towards making their products and company even more eco-friendly and sustainable.
Active Ingredients: Non-Nano Zinc Oxide, Iron Oxides, Sunlfower Oil, Cocoa Butter, Vitamin E
BEST FOR EVERY DAY
MYCHELLE
Reef-Safe · Cruelty Free · Vegan
If you’re looking for something to wear while out and about on your days out of the water, check out MyChelle’s Sun Shield Liquid. It comes in a glass bottle and we’ve found that it can work as a light coverage foundation alternative as well! This sunscreen contains bentonite clay which absorbs excess oils so wait about 10-15 minutes for it to set and it will give you a nice matte finish.
The only downside is that the color shades are quite limited and if your skintone isn’t very similar to one of them, you may need to opt for the Non-Tinted version.
Active Ingredients: Zinc Oxide 20%
ALL GOOD
Reef-Safe · Cruelty Free · Vegan
We really like All Good’s products, especially they’re plastic-free tins and glass pots! They’ve also been kind enough to aid some of our beach clean ups in Hawai’i by donating prizes for participants, providing sunscreen, and setting up an educational booth for the public to learn more about what makes a sunscreen truly reef-safe.
We want to highlight one of their most unique products, the SPF 15 Lip & Cheek Tint. A lot of makeup brands offer SPF options, but very few of them are reef-safe. Thankfully, All Good’s is! If you’re looking for a little color and some additional sun protection, we recommend trying this out.
Active Ingredients: Non-Nano Zinc Oxide 9%
BEST FOR FELLOW ACTIVISTS
STREAM2SEA
Reef-Safe · Vegan
The Stream2Sea team don’t just create reef-safe products. They’re conservationists, too! The team is frequently participating in legislative efforts for stronger regulations on toxic sunscreen ingredients all over the world. They’re also constantly finding new and improved ways to make their products and packaging as eco-friendly as possible, putting them through rigorous testing. Their products are proven safe for freshwater fish, saltwater fish, and coral larvae and have even passed the HEL Labs Protect Land + Sea certification.
We love that this brand walks the walk and that it was created by fellow activists!
Active Ingredients: 8.8% Non-Nano Titanium Dioxide
Did we miss any of your favorite reef-friendly brands? Shoot us a message and we’ll check them out!
Just a reminder: This post may contain affiliate links. If you click on an affiliate link and later make a purchase, we may receive a small commission. Money earned via affiliate links helps pay the fees to keep our site up and running so we can continue to host a platform that allows anyone anywhere to participate in marine conservation. Thank you so much for shopping through our links to show your support for sustainable brands that we love. These choices are ones our team has personally tried and recommends in the hope that you’ll try them out and ditch reef-harming products, too!
