Reef Safe - Biodegradable Sunscreens

I know its November but this is for the lucky travelers going south.  Some Destinations such as Mexico are requiring that you use biodegradable or reef safe sunscreens and in some cases confiscate your non-biodegradable brands.  Biodegradable sunscreens are environmentally friendly and minimize damage to plant life.  After exposure to heat and moisture they breakdown naturally into organic components and natural micro organisms.

The other consideration for your sunscreen is ingredients.  Not all sunscreens are created equal and the number is not really important. It is the zinc and non-nano titanium dioxide that determine the spectrum or broad spectrum and remember to reapply after swimming.  Listed below are some ingredients to avoid in sunscreens.  There is also so much marketing of packaging so checking ingredients is key, sometimes the baby sunscreen has the same ingredients as the adult brands.  

Some harmful ingredients to Avoid
Peg's
Octinoxate
Butylparben
Oxybenzone
4-methylbenzylidene

Here is a list of Reef Safe Biodegradable sunscreens to choose from.

Think Sport
Badger
Goddess Garden
Stream2Sea
All good Sport Sunscreen
Sinology
Trucked Sundays
Tropical Sands
Derma e
Dermalogica

​Also check out my post about the myths of sunscreen.