Biodegradable sunscreen

There are few alternatives to the everyday brands of sunscreen. However, "biodegradable sunscreen" has been on limited offer for a few years now. Very few products admittedly, but it's a start to a focus that appears to be a very good one! Not only are people becoming more health conscious about what they consume, they're extending this to the environment and 'going green'. The growing concern for the environment and our place in it is driving innovations in cosmetics not only in formulations, but also in rethinking the way manufacturers develop and distribute their products.

Global warming, carbon footprints and greenhouse gases, amongst other fearful terms, have become the subject of much exposure and hype in recent years. This increased global awareness has lead to increased incentives to buy eco friendly products, to recycle and to pay back 'carbon debt'. 'Eco' is definitely the new cool as the global consciousness towards not only the welfare of our precious earth increases, but extends to ourselves too.

So, what exactly does the term 'biodegradable sunscreen' mean? Technically, when a product is labeled biodegradable, this means it has the ability to dissolve within the environment without causing harm to nature and its surroundings. This allows for a cleaner method of waste that won't contribute to pollution or toxicity in our waters and other natural settings.

Wearing sunscreen has the potential to harm the environment, surprisingly. Studies have shown that approximately 4,000 to 6,000 metric tons of sunscreens wash off swimmers annually in our oceans worldwide. A study in Jan 2008 concluded that the effect of organic ultraviolet filters used in sunscreen manufacture induces latent infections in the "lytic viral cycle of the symbiotic zooxanthellae" (algae). Zooxanthellae provide corals with their food energy through photosynthesis and also contribute to the coral's vibrant colors. Without them the corals turn white, or bleach out, and die. Effectively, they concluded that sunscreens cause "the rapid and complete bleaching of hard corals, even at extremely low concentrations". As a result, they estimated that up to 10% of coral reefs are threatened by sunscreen-induced bleaching.

Because of studies like this, there are a few sun care companies that sell biodegradable sunscreen, some brands even specializing exclusively as a biodegradable sunscreen. Essentially you should still get the necessary UVA and UVB protection but without any of the environmentally harmful ingredients. These sunscreens make use of ingredients that easily break down in the environment and once broken down, do not cause any harm. Constructing tests to prove these claims are understandably comprehensive and I am sure to some degree these tests will have limitations. eg. How would it be possible to cover all aspects of the potential toxic effects of the different components of the sunscreen? The matrix to cover all ingredients in a variety of aquatic environments would be massive.

Perhaps Sunscreen that is 100% waterproof would be the best sunscreen to wear from a biodegradable perspective as technically that means it will not come off in the water and thus cannot harm the environment! I am not aware of a sunscreen that is 100% waterproof though.

Ref: "Sunscreens cause Coral Bleaching by Promoting Viral Infections". Dept of Marine Sciences, Institute of Biochemistry, Dept of hemical Sciences and Technologies, Faculty of Science, Polytechnic University of the Marche, Ancona, Italy. 3 Jan 2008