4 Natural, Reef-Safe Sunscreens

Did you know that Hawaii and Palau have strict rules about sunscreen? You can't just use any sunscreen when swimming there — they've banned products containing oxybenzone and octinoxate.

‍

While these chemicals work well to block UV rays, they're actually harmful to marine life. They cause coral bleaching, damage coral larvae, and even reduce fish fertility.

‍

When we review brands at Commons, we carefully vet their products for petrochemical-derived ingredients. In fact, a lot of reef-damaging ingredients such as oxybenzone, octinoxate, avobenzone, benzophenone, octocrylene, and padimate O are petrochemical-derived. Microplastics in sunscreens can also cause damage to marine life, and luckily, we also vet products for microplastics.

‍

Here are 4 brands that make natural sunscreens (no petro-derived ingredients) and are reef-safe:

‍

{{cta-join3}}

‍

Meow Meow Tweet

‍

Meow Meow Tweet partners with two brands to offer reef and ocean-safe sunscreen options. The first is Forah, which produces the Everyday Mineral SPF 30 — a deeply hydrating, lightweight moisturizer with sea buckthorn oil, jojoba oil, and seaweed extract. The second is Utu's Unscented SPF 30, which incorporates hyaluronic acid, squalane, and sea buckthorn. Both products come in paper cartons with recyclable metal tubes and plastic caps.

‍

‍

Mad Hippie

‍

Mad Hippie offers reef-safe, vegan, and cruelty-free suncare products, including Ultra-Sheer Body SPF, Luminizing Facial SPF, and Daily Protective Serum. Its products are formulated without harsh chemicals like parabens, sulfates, silicone, and PEGs. Instead, it uses natural ingredients such as cocoa seed, quercetin, and sea buckthorn. The products are packaged in either recyclable glass bottles or sugarcane bioresin containers. For shipping, the company uses sustainable materials, including soy-based inks and FSC-certified paper boxes.

‍

‍

Activist Skincare

‍

Activist Skincare formulates its SPF 30 Tinted Sunscreen stick and cream without synthetic fragrance, synthetic color, silicones, parabens, phenoxyethanol, phthalates, and over 1,000 potential toxins. As opposed to conventional sunscreens, these mineral sunscreens protect your skin immediately upon application. The brand offers four blendable shades that complement all skin tones, uses minimalist packaging, and ships the products without any bubble wrap or plastic tape.

‍

‍

Earth Harbor Naturals

‍

Earth Harbor Naturals’ ECLIPSE Sheer Mineral Sunscreen is a lightweight, clean, broad-spectrum SPF 30 sunscreen lotion. It is reef-safe, non-nano, and 100% mineral-based and is made with ingredients such as Zinc Oxide, Macroalgae, and Green Tea Extract. For its entire product range, the brand offers refills in plastic-free glass bottles that come with aluminum tops.

‍