Hi, it's Veronika here!

Can you imagine a summer without suntan lotion (or rather to say sunscreen - I mean the type where you protect yourself from UV rays)? I couldn't! I burn easily. But hey, even if you're tanned already or have naturally darker skin, sunscreen is a must and I hope everyone knows it. UV rays are going through a thinner ozone layer in present days, so we are bombed by an enormous amount of radiation - more than our ancestors were. They also usually covered themselves more than us, when we go to roast ourselves on the beach =)
But of course we know all of that from school and from our doctors, right?

But did you know that by protecting your skin by using sunscreen you can hurt corals? And ocean life?
No? How is that?

Let me tell you about oxybenzone & octinoxate and why to avoid them!

I have found a video about problematic sunscreens, what to avoid and why, and how biodegradable ingredients are the answer. Please have a short reading break and watch this 6 minute interesting and educational video: Is Your Sunscreen Hurting Coral Reefs?

So to summarise: oxybenzone & octinoxate are BAD boys and we need to avoid them in our tanning products. It's easier than you'd think and all it takes is a little bit of research and you can find your next favourite sunscreen which won't hurt ocean life.

When researching myself I found some interesting products from Tropic Skincare. At this moment, I'm waiting for a sample to try (I'm prone to burn, so I have to make sure the sunscreen will do the job) and will be back to give a full review.

So why did I choose a product from this company? Not only do their ingredients not contain those two bad boys (oxybenzone & octinoxate - remember if in the list of ingredients, sea corals won't thank you for it), but also the company is certified vegan (they don't use any animal by-products and don't test on animals either) plus they are also environmentally responsible. I've spoken to one of their ambassadors, Cordelia, who told me:

The plastic is a huge issue. All our plastic is recyclable but Susie Ma (Tropic founder) is working towards biodegradable and re-refillable [packaging], we hope to be ready by the end of the year [2018]!

This comes as sweet music to my ears because I'm trying to cut out plastic, not only now when we have plastic-free July, but all the time. Zero-waste is the goal, recyclable, renewable and non-plastic solutions are the future. Which brings me back to the oceans and the life in them: if you avoid harsh chemicals in your sunscreen, but you'd still throw away another unnecessary piece of plastic packaging, then the job is only halfway done.

What job? Protecting and saving our oceans for future generations! =)

So get your research done, or perhaps try Tropic Skincare products too. Or let me know about your discoveries and I'll add them to my list of ocean-friendly sunscreens!

After-summer update:

I have tried the sunscreen described above over the summer period (this year exceptionally hot even for England) and must say, I'm not burnt, nor darker than usual (keeping my skin without major colour changes means I was well protected) and although the cream is thicker than many other I tried, I wouldn't exchange it for any other easier spreadable, when this works so well, is vegan and isn't toxic to marine life.
Very much in love with this product =)

Should you wish to buy this sunscreen, here is the link for Cordelia's shop.