Now that the weather is getting warmer and theres more exposure to the sun, you are probably wondering what type of sunscreen is best for you. Here is something you should know, there are two types of sunscreens, mineral and chemical, and they do not work the same.

Mineral sunscreen which reflects rays is generally thought to be safer for both humans and the environment, the only downside to it is it might leave a white cast on the skin within application. The active ingredients in mineral sunscreen include zinc oxide and titanium dioxide.

Chemical sunscreen includes a various list of ingredients that may prove to be harmful to both humans and the planet. Chemical ingredients absorb rays instead of deflecting them but does not last long after application. The two of the most common harmful sunscreen ingredients is oxybenzone and octinoxate, which are known to be toxic for corals. We need the oceans reefs for coastal protection, food, ocean habitats, medicine, and much more. According to experts, there’s an estimate that 90% of all reefs will be dead by 2050, and sunscreen could play a huge part of that problem on top of climate change.

You can start making an impact by avoiding the purchase of chemical ingredient sunscreen. Popular brands often formulate the sunscreen in a more marketable way to make them sellable in an effort to make sunscreen that people will actually wear. One study found oxybenzone, more known as Benzophenone-3 (BP-3) is an emerging contaminant of concern in marine environment which has a toxic effect on coral and is a cause of environmental contamination in Hawaii and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Hawaii has banned the sale of oxybenzone and octinoxate. Key West in Florida and the island nation of Palau have followed, and more states, especially California, are likely soon to ban the sale of oxybenzone and octinoxate as well.

There’s a whole list of chemicals in commercial products that are questionable. For that reason, the European Union has banned over 1,400 chemicals from cosmetics due to safety concerns, while the U.S. has only banned about 30. Although nothing is as dangerous as avoiding the use of sunscreen to prevent the steadily rise of melanoma skin cancer. You decide!

While there may not be many affordable mineral based sunscreens out there, you can find ways to save while using better quality products that are not only good for you but for our environment.

–>Here’s a tip, you can get a mineral based sunscreen at a local CVS using ExtraCare coupons. I purchased a Bare Republic sunscreen for 40% off so I basically got it at half price, $8.99 (reg $14.99)

You can also check out Ulta, they often have coupons available at their site or catalogs as well as a whole list of sunscreens available.

Make sure to check out past blog post on sunscreen.