A few years ago while on a vacation in Hawaii I was shocked to learn from the locals that most sunscreen products are extremely harmful to the coral and the marine life, as the components in these sunscreens contribute to coral bleaching and ocean acidification. This has become quite a serious issue, given the fact that literally millions of gallons of sunscreen end up in the ocean each year (and that's in Hawaii alone!). The marine life habitats are destroyed right before our eyes. It harming the turtles and the fish, and it is heartbreaking.
NY Times recently published a great article on the subject: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/19/opinion/sunday/sunscreen-poisoning-ocean-reef.html
As you can imagine, going against the whole industry and banning these sunblocks is very difficult on a legislative level (according to the article above, it has been proposed but, sadly, failed). So - as often is the case in life - it's up to each one of us to make a difference. Nick & I have been using ocean-friendly and biodegradable sunscreens ever since we learned that we (unwittingly!) were contributing to the problem.
I used Reef Safe sunscreen on my last trip to Australia/Hawaii (see my blog post) and loved it. As I googled and learned about the company, I knew I liked them even more. As you know, I endorse a lot of music gear and on occasion I work with other brands, so (before my vacation in Hawaii this March) I reached out to Reef Safe to see if they'd be interested in collaborating.
I told them I am very passionate about the issue of protecting our oceans and I'd love to tell my blog readers/social media followers about using sunscreen that won't hurt the environment. I don't mean to tell people what to do (well, kind of - haha!), but knowledge is power. I learned about the scary effects of sunscreen from someone, and I'd love to pass along this knowledge.
Full disclosure: I did not get paid by Reef Safe for any of this. But I was very surprised that instead of receiving just one bottle of sunscreen I ended up getting a lot of amazing goodies in the mail:
Nick & I ended up using all of this on our vacation!! The sunscreen spray SPF30, lipbalm w/SPF, skin lotion, mask defogger and biodegradable shampoo and conditioner, and the hair styling products.
We used this sunscreen every day. Took this pic on the beautiful Kenomene Beach on Kauai's North Shore:
And used this one for face:
At the Puu Poa Beach (the one by St Regis Resort) a local boy knocked down a coconut from a tree for me and opened it up so I could drink the water. Nick & I were getting ready for a snorkel and put our stuff by the tree. This was a total accidental artsy photo, wish I could claim that I set it up:
And, by the way, this snorkeling mask defogger is the best we've ever used!
Anyway, that's all for now! :)
Please let me know if you end up getting Reef Safe!
I don't get paid if you buy their products, but you will be supporting a very good company and the environment!
A little bit about Reef Safe by Tropical Seas: they are a family-run company for over 20 years. They use renewable and sustainable resources and never test their products on animals. Everything is biodegradable, non-toxic and is approved by The FDA. The company sponsors and donates to a number of conservation & educational programs and non-profit marine research organizations. That's pretty damn cool in my books! :)
www.reefsafesuncare.com/
File in: what to bring on a vacation, best environmentally-safe sunscreens, biodegradable sunblock