Are the Pacifica suncare products reef safe?Updated 8 months ago

We are getting a lot of questions about the term “Reef Safe” and asking if our products fit into this definition. Currently, it is generally accepted that the products that make “Reef Safe” claims are free of the two biggest reef damaging chemicals: oxybenzone and octinoxate.

Our SPF products do not contain these ingredients. And therefore, we would fall into this generally accepted terminology. BUT WAIT, there is more. We deliberately choose not to use the term “Reef Safe” on our packaging for any of our products, as there is far too much conversation and debate happening around the impact of sunscreen on coral reefs. Instead, we choose to use “Reef Friendly” and “Surfer Approved” to define our ingredient choices because we know that science and research is constantly changing and we need to remain adaptable and not absolute. There is so much we don’t know.

Why do we believe in sunscreen? According to the American Skin Cancer foundation: 1 in 5 Americans will develop skin cancer before they are 70. More than 2 people die of skin cancer in the U.S. every hour. Having 5 or more sunburns doubles your risk for melanoma. As a wellness brand it is important for us to continue to provide meaningful solutions to our customers in their daily routines, with minimum impact on the planet. Most of our sun care is all mineral based, which means we rely on zinc and titanium dioxide to “block” the suns rays.

But the biggest call out we have had from our customers is that our sunscreen can add white cast to the skin. We have minimized this with 1) the latest nano-free zinc technology, which limits the 2) we have also added iron oxide to certain formulas to change the white to a “tan” cast and 3) we have added carefully chosen products that contain both a mineral and chemical formula in the SPF to eliminate any issues, especially for darker skin. This opens up options for individualized needs. All of our SPF options are always free of our extensive no-list as which includes these common sunscreen chemicals: PABA, nano-particles, oxybenzone and octinoxate and we continue to watch data and update formulas. We will always be in service of our core value: compassion for the planet, animals and you.

Thank you for your support and all you do to protect the environment. All of us at Pacifica