“Reef-Friendly” or Just Friendly Marketing? Sunscreen Greenwashing Exposed

It sounds good. You walk into a store, scan the sunscreen aisle, and choose the one with the reef-safe sticker. Easy. You feel like you’ve made a responsible choice, not just for your skin, but for the planet, and now you can get on with your day. But what if that reassuring label is just another marketing ploy?

That’s exactly what the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has accused brands like Hawaiian Tropic and Banana Boat of doing: misleading consumers with unverified environmental claims. According to a new investigation, both brands marketed sunscreens as “reef-friendly” despite including chemicals known to harm coral reefs.

Let’s be clear: this isn’t just a harmless exaggeration. Coral reefs around the world are under severe threat from warming oceans, pollution, and yes, chemicals commonly found in personal care products. Oxybenzone and Octinoxate are the well-known ingredients that can bleach and damage coral even in small concentrations. These ingredients have even been banned in some areas, such as Hawai’i, because of the damage they cause. 

But there are more ingredients shown to cause harm to corals and marine life, including octocrylene, homosalate, Enzacamene (4-methylbenzylidene camphor), and Avobenzone (butyl methoxydibenzoylmethane). Yet brands continue to plaster “reef safe” or “reef friendly” claims on their products despite containing these ingredients.

The ACCC rightly points out that terms like “reef-friendly” are meaningless without clear definitions or proof. These vague claims create a false sense of security, leaving well-intentioned consumers unwittingly contributing to reef decline. Even worse, they crowd out genuinely sustainable alternatives, which often rely on mineral-based filters and undergo independent testing.

This is more than just a case of bad marketing; it’s a breach of consumer trust and a threat to one of the most vital ecosystems on Earth. Coral reefs support over 25% of marine life and provide food, income, and protection to millions of people. In Australia, where the Great Barrier Reef is both a national treasure and a global symbol of ocean health, misleading claims about reef safety are particularly galling.

Consumers are increasingly demanding transparency, and regulators are starting to catch up. The ACCC’s move follows similar action in the United States and Europe, where regulators are beginning to scrutinise environmental claims across a wide range of products. It’s a wake-up call to the personal care industry: if you want to market your product as eco-friendly, you need to prove it.

In the meantime, what can we do?

First, don’t take “reef-friendly” claims at face value. Look for mineral-based sunscreens using non-nano zinc oxide or titanium dioxide. These are currently the only ingredients widely accepted as safe for marine environments. Avoid products containing known reef-harming chemicals like oxybenzone, octinoxate, and octocrylene.

Second, support companies that go beyond marketing and invest in real science. One example is Stream2Sea’s Coral Care SPF 30, the world’s first sunscreen shown to nourish coral growth in independent trials. Rather than just avoiding damage, it offers a glimpse into what responsible product development could look like: sunscreen as a force for regeneration.

In a sea of greenwashed labels, genuine reef protection is possible, but only if we demand better from the companies we trust and choose carefully what we put on our skin before diving in.