Turns out some of the ingredients in our sun cream that keep us safe are busily bleaching coral reefs. So much so that countries like Mexico have taken to barring sunseekers wearing the wrong sunscreens from taking a dip in their marine parks.
Removing the most offending filters (as suntan lotions such as Caudalie Beautifying Suncare Oil SPF30, from Dsh97, and Soleil Toujours Organic Sheer Sunscreen Mist SPF30, from Dhs147, do) sorts out the coral.
But as that still leaves plenty of additional ingredients that other reef creatures wouldn’t choose to dine on, “reef-safe” claims are, frankly, overstated. Being “reef-friendly”, the (more truthful) term REN uses for its Clean Screen Mineral SPF30, from Dhs138, is the best we can hope for – and for now, that’s pretty terreefic. (Sorry.)