Reef Madness

First came the reports that sunscreen was killing coral. Then local governments started outlawing certain UV-shielding ingredients. Now some experts say the original research may be all wet. What’s a health-conscious ocean lover to do?

- Tara Haelle

YOU SKIP PLASTIC BAGS and straws, choose beans over beef, and bike wherever you can. You want to do your part for the planet. So when news started surfacing a couple of years ago suggesting that sunscreen may be harming the world’s coral reefs, you might have wondered if you should scale back on the SPF.

Some U.S. legislators in coastal areas felt even more urgency: In July 2018, Hawaii banned the sale of sunscreen containing oxybenzone and octinoxate, and in February 2019, the city of Key West, Florida, followed suit. These chemicals, which activists claim are harming coral, shield skin from the sun’s UVA and UVB rays and have been in use for more than four decades. In fact, about 70 percent of SPF products on the market today contain one ingredient or both. With skin cancer rates climbing, you might assume that only the most compelling, conclusive research would lead to a ban on two UV filters that many dermatologists consider safe and effective. The truth is much more complicated.