Peace of mind, swimming and tanning are the main actitivies of summer vacations. However, they can have desastrous consequences on the environment. According to a study by the Italian Polytechnic University of Marche of Ancona, sunscreens, which protect our skin from sunrays, turn out to be a deadly threat to corals.

All the oceans of the world are threatened
The phenomenon has been observed on Mexican, Indonesian, Thai and Egyptian beaches. Because of their chemical filters, sunscreens are harmful to the environment. Waters are polluted and, within a few days only, corals turn white and die, which impacts the many marine species that live in or eat corals. Considering that there are around 78 million tourists each year, between 4,000 and 6,000 tons of sunscreen are allegedly released in tropical reef areas, thus threatening 10% of thesaid reefs.

But there is a way to protect yourself from the sun without harming the environment. You just have to use an organic sunscreen, certified by Ecocert (French) and Cosmebio labels, and which have been scientifically proven to be harmless on marine environment and corals. It is the best way to enjoy the sun with a clean conscience.

Photo credit: Jim Maragos/U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

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