By Christopher Thompson

Yes, we want to protect our skin from the sun. Yes, we want to protect marine life. But dermatologist Kate Zibilich Holcomb says we should be wary of shoveling out extra money for sunscreen that claims to be “eco-friendly.”

Last summer, Hawaii banned the sale of sunscreens with the ingredients oxybenzone and octinoxate, which some studies have found contribute to coral reef bleaching. The ban goes into effect in 2021. In the wake of these findings, many companies now are labeling their products as safe alternatives to conventional sunscreen.

And while some of these sunscreens are manufactured so as not to negatively impact coral reefs, Holcomb says terms like “eco-friendly” and “eco-safe” technically carry little — if any — scientific meaning.

“I think this … term … ‘eco-friendly sunscreen’ is basically an advertising ploy,’” Holcomb says. “There’s no governing body to tell you [what] is an eco-safe sunscreen.”

When combing through the shelves (or online reviews) of sunscreen options, Holcomb says consumers should breeze past the flashy labels boasting that the product is environmentally conscious and instead flip the bottle over to look at the ingredients. Check that the product contains the minerals zinc and titanium.

Holcomb recommends these mineral-based products — also called physical blockers — for daily use to patients concerned about the potential adverse side effects of sunscreen.

Because physical blockers are made from natural minerals instead of engineered chemicals, they allow the sun to reflect off the skin, whereas traditional chemical sunscreens rely on a chemical reaction with sunlight to protect the skin from the sun’s rays. Bypassing chemical-based sunscreen is a way to avoid chemical reactions both on the skin and in the water.

Some zinc-based sunscreens tend to be pricier than standard lotions. That could be because its thick nature requires careful processing to get the lotion to the consistency where it blends into the skin while still protecting it.

“It does take some time [and] additional manufacturing to get the zinc into a formulation that really is both beautiful on many skin types … and also goes into the skin,” she says. “However, just because it says eco-friendly and it’s expensive doesn’t necessarily mean they’re even doing that process.”

In addition to keeping eyes peeled for zinc and titanium, Holcomb suggests buyers look at the number of active ingredients listed on the sunscreen bottle to ensure optimal sun protection, since some eco-friendly sunscreens contain only zinc.

“Those may very well protect from sun,” Holcomb says, “but it’s often when we have a combination of multiple products, that it seems to protect much better than having a single product.”

Her ideal matchup? A combination of zinc oxide and titanium dioxide.

While scanning the bottle, you’ll also want to ensure you’ve picked up one that’s fragrance free, due to both allergenic and environmental factors.

“There are some reactions that can happen [between] fragrance and sun that can irritate skin or cause a reaction … on skin,” Holcomb says. “If we’re going to consider something that’s problematic to sea life or coral, fragrance would be included in that.”