Eco-Friendly Sunscreens to Protect You, the Reef & the Planet

Finding eco-friendly sunscreens that offer good protection for yourself, the reef and the planet isn’t an easy task. You may find yourself squinting, reading the tiny labels on the back of the bottles in an attempt to find the perfect product. Thankfully, we’ve done the hard work for you! Here’s our lowdown on eco-friendly sunscreen products, why you should use them and some of our favourites too.

Why should we use sunscreen?

I’ve always been very mindful of what I put on my skin so I’m generally picky about which brand of cosmetics goes into my basket. Although I grew up in the city, my whole family is from the countryside so I’m #teamnature all the way and I’d rather make my own concoctions using natural ingredients than spending money on some crappy store-bought product. But, unfortunately, sunscreen is an exception to this rule.

I absolutely love sunbathing but I also don’t take chances just for the sake of having a good tan. The sun is a major source of ultraviolet (UV) rays which can be harmful to our health if we’re exposed to it for prolonged periods of time and without the necessary protection.

The regular use of sunscreen can prevent you from:

• Sunburns
• Premature aging
• Uneven complexion marks such as brown and white spots 
• Increased risk of skin cancer

Ah! And if you only think that you should worry about sun protection on sunny days, think again. Clouds can only block up to 20% of UV rays so even if the weather is overcast, they’re still invisibly at work.

Why use Eco-friendly Sunscreen?

Sunscreen lotions are essential to protect our skin from these pesky UV rays, however, they’re known to contain harmful chemicals that aren’t only disruptive to our endocrine system and potentially damaging to our health but they’re also bad to our fragile coral reef ecosystems. So when we shop for sunscreen, we’re basically caught between having to choose the lesser of two evils most of the time.

As if this wasn’t already complex enough, being a responsible consumer and traveller means that we have to throw other things in the mix like, if the sunscreen we’re buying is organic, all things-friendly, all-things free and, most importantly, affordable.

What Type of Sunscreen Should I Choose?

“What are the things that I should be considering when buying my sunscreen?” You may be asking. Well, apart from the obvious one which is price, these are some of the things I try to weigh up when shopping for sunscreen:

Broad Spectrum 

UVA and UVB rays differ in how they affect the skin but both cause damage which can lead to premature aging or, in more extreme cases, eye damage, cataracts and skin cancer. The SPF factor on your sunscreen relates only to UVB protection so it’s important to check if it also says ‘broad-protection’ or it has a UVA sign on it.

Recyclable

Whilst some brands have been investing in alternative materials in recent years, most cosmetic manufacturers still predominantly use plastic in their packaging which means that this is the toughest thing to avoid. So try to favour products that come in recyclable containers or that at least use recyclable plastic. If they’re BPA-free, even better. Also pay attention to the number within the recycling triangle because the higher the number, the harder it is for that type of plastic to be recycled. Oh, and needless to say that you should throw that empty bottle of yours in the relevant recycling bin so chances are higher that it’ll end up in a recycling facility rather than in the middle of the ocean somewhere. (High levels of drama on purpose, to make sure you do your bit correctly 😉)

Reef-Safe 

How do I know if the sunscreen is reef-friendly?

Unfortunately, the terms reef-friendly or reef-safe aren’t regulated so you can’t always trust products that have that label on them. In order to know whether the product in your shopping cart is reef-friendly, you’ll have to look out for three things: active ingredients, particle size and application type. 

Firstly, always check that the reef-harming chemicals from the list below aren’t included on the active ingredients label. Next, you’ll have to check if the particles in the product are micro-sized (or non-nano) because nanoparticles can be toxic in high concentrations. In case this isn’t explicitly mentioned, apply a bit of the product onto your skin and, if it rubs, it most definitely means that it’s nano-sized. Lastly, it’s advised that you stick with lotions as sprays usually contain titanium dioxide that can be harmful to your health if inhaled.

These are the culprits that you should be looking out for on your sunscreen label:

• Oxybenzone or known as Benzophenone-3
• Octinoxate
• Octocrylene
• Homosalate
• Avobenzone
• 4-methylbenzylidene camphor
• PABA
• Parabens
• Triclosan
• Any nanoparticles or nano-sized zinc or titanium 
• Any form of microplastic, such as exfoliating beads although these have been prohibited in many countries.

Organic

Organic is a word that’s used carelessly by cosmetic brands in a shameless attempt to lure us into buying their products. Again, unless you’re familiar with the different organic certifications in each country or continent, it’s hard to rely only on the product labels.

Organic means that the ingredients used aren’t genetically modified (GMO) and were farmed without the use of herbicides or synthetic fertilisers. However, for the sake of this post, this category also means cleaner products that are gentler on our skin. So the general rule is if a product is reef-safe, it’ll probably have fewer nasties but I’d recommend checking EWG Skin Deep, Think Dirty or Cosmethics apps in any case. These apps have an extensive database where you can check the toxicity ratings according to US and European standards for a wide range of products.

Cruelty-free

The easiest way is to find out if the product you’re buying hasn’t been tested on animals is to look for the Leaping Bunny label which is an international accreditation for cruelty-free products. You may also see Peta’s Cruelty-Free bunny or the CCF Not-tested on Animals instead. If for some reason there’s a dodgy bunny label or no label at all, you can run a quick Google search or use apps like Cruelty-Cutter to find more about the brand and its practices regarding animal testing.

Vegan or Vegetarian approved

Being cruelty-free doesn’t necessarily mean that a product doesn’t contain animal-derived ingredients and, bizarrely, the contrary is also true. So, if you’re a vegan or vegetarian like me, it’s always safe to look out for the V label to ensure that you’re buying a product that is aligned with your personal values.

Ethical

Does this brand use palm oil in its products? Does it use fair trade ingredients? Are the ingredients locally sourced? There are just so many things to consider that I’ve decided to put them all into one basket to keep it simple. An ethical brand will be transparent and will usually cover most bases and, if they don’t, it may be good ol‘ greenwashing.

The Best Eco-Friendly Sunscreen Brands

With so many boxes to tick, shopping for a decent sunscreen can easily feel like mission impossible. Fear not! I’m sharing with you a list of my favourite brands so you won’t have to sweat the small stuff. They should be easy-ish to find in Europe, US and possibly Australasia.

Odylique

Broad Spectrum • Recyclable • Reef-Safe • Organic • Cruelty-Free • Vegan • Ethical

Here’s the product that you all have been looking for! Odylique’s sunscreen it’s the top contender because it ticks all of the important boxes.

Badger

Broad Spectrum • Recyclable • Reef-Safe • Organic • Cruelty-Free • Vegan • Ethical

Annnd Badger sunscreen is a pretty close second! This US-brand is super ethical, eco-friendly and uses recycled plastic in their packaging. I’m just not sure if these could be recycled further though.

Green People

 Broad Spectrum • Recyclable • Organic • Cruelty-Free • Vegan • Ethical

I absolutely love this brand and I’ve been using their sunscreen range for years. Their SPF face moisturiser is super light and has a pretty strong hold. So it’s with a heavy heart I announce that Green People, despite advertising itself as reef-safe, uses nano Titanium Dioxide which has been recently reported to be a threat to our marine life. *sigh*

Ren Skincare

Broad Spectrum • Recyclable • Reef-Safe • Organic • Cruelty-Free • Vegan • Ethical

Though a bit pricier than the others, Ren pretty much ticks all of the boxes of what an ideal sunscreen should be like. But, as there’s always a but, this British brand was acquired by not-so-ethical giant Unilever a few years back so I leave this one for you to decide.

Weleda

 Recyclable • Reef-Safe • Organic • Cruelty-Free • Vegan • Ethical

Weleda is a well-established company that has been producing a wide range of quality natural products since 1921 and has been on my list of favourites for a very long time. Some of their packaging is made of hard plastic so they’ve partnered with Terracycle to ensure these are recycled responsibly which is a good solution but at the same time an annoying extra step in the recycling chain and for their costumers.

Neal’s Yard

Broad Spectrum • Recyclable • Organic • Cruelty-Free • Vegetarian • Ethical

If you’re looking for a face moisturiser that has SPF protection, look no further as Neal’s Yard has got you covered although I’m unsure on whether this product is specifically vegan or reef-safe. I agree that their products are slightly on the pricy side but it’ll definitely be money well spent.

Lavera

Broad Spectrum • Recyclable • Organic • Cruelty-Free • Vegan • Ethical

I really like Lavera’s products and they’re quite easy to find in natural health shops across Europe. Their products are high in quality and affordable but, unfortunately, their suncare range seems to be quite limited and most possibly not reef-safe.

Incognito

Broad Spectrum • Recyclable • Organic • Vegan • Ethical

Despite being a loyal Holland&Barrett customer, I’ve only recently discovered Incognito through a Twitter post when their products were highly recommended by many people. Incognito’s 2-for-1 sunscreen and mosquito repellent could be next on my list once I confirm that they’re definitely cruelty-free. It says on their website that they are but, because I can’t find any certification confirming this, I can’t add this information here.

Lush

 Cruelty-Free • Vegan • Ethical

Lush is a high-street brand that has been at the forefront of producing natural and package-free cosmetics and it’s nearly impossible not to walk past one of the Lush’s shops without popping in for a quick browse. Their Sunblock bar is the only solid sunscreen I’ve come across and, although I’m quite sure it comes wrapped up in a plastic film, the packaging is minimal. But since this nothing is perfect in this world, all of their sun protection range contains octocrylene which is supposedly a reef-harming ingredient.

Amazinc

 Recyclable • Reef-Safe • Vegetarian

I recently found this Amazinc when I was researching some other alternatives to the sunscreen I’m currently using and instantly fell in love with their branding. Minimalist design, sleek metal bottles and no nasties used but I’m yet to find out whether they test on animals and are vegan.

Besides the use of sunscreen, another idea is to invest in UV-proof clothing so you can give your skin (or your pocket) a break every once in a while.

There you have it! These are my top picks for clean, ethical and eco-friendly sunscreens. In case these aren’t available or even affordable, I’m sure now you’ll be able to make better decisions next time you shop for sun protection.