Eco friendly sunscreen?

[Cozzette2]

I have heard that to snorkle in the carribean you need eco friendly sunscreen. Does anyone know the name brand and where to purchase this type of sunscreen?

[bgbaird]

I ordered

Caribbean Sol Biodegradable Sunscreen SPF 25

 

from iSnorkel on Amazon.....16.95 and it worked great!

[jhannah]

Here's one that's biodegradable and formulated for sports/water use.

http://www.shadyladyproducts.com/product_p/68.htm

[Tralynn]

I just purchased Smart Shield from Academy Sports for $9.99. It's all natural and biodegradable. They also have one that is combined with a natural, waterproof bug repellant which comes in handy in on some excursions. I do find you may have to reapply these all natural brands a little more often. Just remember that, and you'll find they work great.

[VibeGuy]

Any sunscreen without "something"paraben in the ingredient list and active ingredients that only include titanium dioxide or zinc oxide is reef-friendly. The "biodegradable" claims are pretty spurious - neither zinc oxide nor titanium dioxide biodegrade, or we wouldn't be able to paint houses white.

 

You don't need to get into the boutique brands; Coppertone and Neutrogena both make "sensitive skin" formulas or kids' blends that meet the guidelines.

 

None of these products stick particularly well in water. Make sure you use enough (a shot glass full for an average-size person) and let it dry as thoroughly as possible before you get in the water. Check the water repellency claims; "water-resistant" means that the block still works to the rated SPF in 40 minutes; waterproof means 80 minutes, but the moment you towel off with either type, all bets are off. They also have the effect, when applied properly, of making you look a little like Casper the Friendly Ghost.

 

Nobody wants to kill off the reefs, but nobody wants a sunburn to ruin their vacation either, and a single blistering sunburn raises your risk of melanoma measurably. So, if you're particularly sun-sensitive, you might find these sunscreens just don't give you enough protection. One thing you *could* do is use a wash-in sunscreen (which doesn't appreciably rinse out, thus protecting the reefs, on your swimwear and coverups. As someone who *is* the color of Casper, I use a product called SunGuard , which really, really works. It makes them about SPF 30 and lasts all season long. It's something to consider, because, when you apply the reef-safe products as directed, you're getting something like 25-40% of the rated SPF. When you do that with a super-great SPF70 product with chemical UV filters, you get SPF 20ish, and that's plenty for many people.

 

Sorry to get off on a sunscreen geekiness; this is a favorite topic of mine this time of year. I hate the giant cancer-and-wrinkle-causing ball of flame in the sky!

 

E

[Cozzette2]

Wow, thank you for all the great imput. I have lots to think about, thank you, Kris

[VibeGuy]

Whoops, I should clarify. I wrote:

 

when you apply the reef-safe products as directed, you're getting something like 25-40% of the rated SPF. When you do that with a super-great SPF70 product with chemical UV filters, you get SPF 20ish, and that's plenty for many people.

 

If you apply them as to the test standard (a shot glass for an average-sized person), you get the rated SPF. When you apply them in a typical manner (ie, like body lotion), you get 25-40% of the rated SPF. Sorry, I was pre-caffeine when I wrote that. ;0)

 

So, SPF 70, applied as most people do = SPF 18-28

SPF 15, applied as most people do = SPD 5-6

 

SPF 15, applied in the test manner = SPF 15

SPF 70, applied in the test manner = SPF 70

 

Here's a simple test to tell if you're using enough - if your 3oz carryon-legal sunscreen survives more than three afternoons in the sun before running out, you're not using enough. ;0)

[Toto2Kansas]

I have heard that to snorkle in the carribean you need eco friendly sunscreen. Does anyone know the name brand and where to purchase this type of sunscreen?

 

I have to admit, I have NEVER heard of needing eco friendly sunscreen to snorkel or swim in the caribbean. :confused: And I can't count how many times we have snorkeled and went swimming in almost every port in the Caribbean.

[stanford's girl]

I have to admit, I have NEVER heard of needing eco friendly sunscreen to snorkel or swim in the caribbean. :confused: And I can't count how many times we have snorkeled and went swimming in almost every port in the Caribbean.

I have never heard of this either. :confused:

[VibeGuy]

Yeah, there's some evidence that paraben preservatives (found in a lot of sunscreens) contributes to coral bleaching and death, and there's similar concerns that the organic (meaning, carbon-containing, in the chemistry sense) UV filters also damage coral. I could see how, in popular snorkelling areas, the doses coming off a few hundred people a day could affect reef health.

[mummsie]

Any sunscreen without "something"paraben in the ingredient list and active ingredients that only include titanium dioxide or zinc oxide is reef-friendly. The "biodegradable" claims are pretty spurious - neither zinc oxide nor titanium dioxide biodegrade, or we wouldn't be able to paint houses white.

 

You don't need to get into the boutique brands; Coppertone and Neutrogena both make "sensitive skin" formulas or kids' blends that meet the guidelines.

 

None of these products stick particularly well in water. Make sure you use enough (a shot glass full for an average-size person) and let it dry as thoroughly as possible before you get in the water. Check the water repellency claims; "water-resistant" means that the block still works to the rated SPF in 40 minutes; waterproof means 80 minutes, but the moment you towel off with either type, all bets are off. They also have the effect, when applied properly, of making you look a little like Casper the Friendly Ghost.

 

Nobody wants to kill off the reefs, but nobody wants a sunburn to ruin their vacation either, and a single blistering sunburn raises your risk of melanoma measurably. So, if you're particularly sun-sensitive, you might find these sunscreens just don't give you enough protection. One thing you *could* do is use a wash-in sunscreen (which doesn't appreciably rinse out, thus protecting the reefs, on your swimwear and coverups. As someone who *is* the color of Casper, I use a product called SunGuard , which really, really works. It makes them about SPF 30 and lasts all season long. It's something to consider, because, when you apply the reef-safe products as directed, you're getting something like 25-40% of the rated SPF. When you do that with a super-great SPF70 product with chemical UV filters, you get SPF 20ish, and that's plenty for many people.

 

Sorry to get off on a sunscreen geekiness; this is a favorite topic of mine this time of year. I hate the giant cancer-and-wrinkle-causing ball of flame in the sky!

 

E

Living in the sun cancer capital of the world, we always wear suntops - made of lycra and are full armed and bodied. Very comfortable and then you don't need to worry about missing bits. We then only need to use suncreen on our faces and legs. - mummsie

[Spender Nui]

I have never heard of this either. :confused:

 

Add me to the list.

[DeepWaterMariner]

I have to admit, I have NEVER heard of needing eco friendly sunscreen to snorkel or swim in the caribbean. :confused: And I can't count how many times we have snorkeled and went swimming in almost every port in the Caribbean.

 

I haven't heard it either and I've been snorkeling for thirty years. For swimming laps in the pool I use sunscreen from head to toe but for snorkeling I wear a t-shirt and only use sunscreen on the exposed areas...too fair skinned to handle direct exposure when on a snorkeling trip.

[coo359a2]

We had to have this type of sunscreen for our shore excursion to Xcaret. Boughy Aubrey Organics Natural Sun sunscreen at our local Whole Foods Store.

[rdsqrl]

Yeah, there's some evidence that paraben preservatives (found in a lot of sunscreens) contributes to coral bleaching and death, and there's similar concerns that the organic (meaning, carbon-containing, in the chemistry sense) UV filters also damage coral. I could see how, in popular snorkelling areas, the doses coming off a few hundred people a day could affect reef health.

This is excellent news. Now I have a PC, crunchy-granola reason to give why I don't snorkle, since saying I think it's about as exciting as watching grass grow and I'd rather see fish filet-side up at the local grocer tends to make some people think I'm mocking their choice of vacation activities. Which I am, but now they won't catch on. Instead I'll instill a low-level of guilt that will gnaw at them for their entire trip. A win-win!

[Cozzette2]

I remember reading a few years ago on Cruise Critics [and forgive me it was a while ago and I don't remember the excursion that was mentioned ] the topic of eco friendly sunscreen and where to purchase it. Now, if the majority of you seasoned cruisers haven't heard the need for this then I won't drive myself cuckoo worrying about it. I sure appreciate all of the great information and opinions:D Thanks Kris