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Glad to have you guys on 'Board! As I am getting into my senior years, I regret not playing it safer by using sunscreen when I was around the water. It not only beats down on you from above but also gets reflected up as well. A lot more exposure from the same source.
 
The PR piece just published concluded that "IT'S NOT ABOUT THE INGREDIENTS - IT'S ABOUT HOW THE INGREDIENTS ARE PROCESSED." How was this conclusion reached? Yes, the oxybenzone seemed to ahve no affect; but how does this then implicate the processing?
 
The PR piece just published concluded that "IT'S NOT ABOUT THE INGREDIENTS - IT'S ABOUT HOW THE INGREDIENTS ARE PROCESSED." How was this conclusion reached? Yes, the oxybenzone seemed to ahve no affect; but how does this then implicate the processing?

Thanks for your question. Here is an excerpt from the published test results:

March 1, 2018 Experiment tested Reef Safe sunscreen formulations both without Oxybenzone, then with Oxybenzone at 4%,Oxybenzone at 6%, and with Oxybenzone at 6% administered at 30 times Expected Environmental Concentrations (EEC). Equivalent to 3000 snorkelers wearing 1 fl. oz of Reef Safe product on a reef 250 ft x 250 ft x 16 ft average depth for one hour twice a day for 20 days.

This experiment, unlike many others, used sunscreen concentrations representative of high usage diving, and bather events over coral reefs, similar to condition on heavily utilized coral reef dive sites. The test condition simulated normal sunscreen applications to a surface and did not use any solvents or dispersants to force the products into artificial solution.

This experimental test of Reef Safe sunscreen products, including at 30 times Expected Environmental Concentrations on corals showed no mortality or any significant differences , less than .05% change in condition relative to controls during 48 hour, 96 hour and 20 day duration LC50 tests.

Previous studies reported concentrations of oxybenzone to range from 75 to 1,400 µg/L in the US Virgin Islands, and from 0.8 to 19.2 µg/L in the Hawaiian Islands (Downs, et al. 2015). The aqueous concentrations from this test are well within the range observed for the Hawaiian Islands thus disproving the theory that Oxybenzone in Reef Safe formulas is harming corals and coral larvae.

At the end of the 20 day experiment, there were no mortalities and no significant difference observed at any level of exposure of test fragments relative to controls.

It's the levels and the percentages of the ingredients. People have proclaimed that there are harmful ingredients in many of the products we consume. When you investigate you find that the amounts are so low that there is no harm. It's sort of like water. Water is good but it is possible to drink so much water that it will kill you. Reef Safe products are laboratory tested and manufactured to the highest standards following FDA guidelines. They have been tested and retested over the 30 years the company has been in business.
 
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Glad to have you guys on 'Board! As I am getting into my senior years, I regret not playing it safer by using sunscreen when I was around the water. It not only beats down on you from above but also gets reflected up as well. A lot more exposure from the same source.

Thanks Pete! We're glad to be here :)
 
Thanks for your question. Here is an excerpt from the published test results:

March 1, 2018 Experiment tested Reef Safe sunscreen formulations both without Oxybenzone, then with Oxybenzone at 4%,Oxybenzone at 6%, and with Oxybenzone at 6% administered at 30 times Expected Environmental Concentrations (EEC). Equivalent to 3000 snorkelers wearing 1 fl. oz of Reef Safe product on a reef 250 ft x 250 ft x 16 ft average depth for one hour twice a day for 20 days.

This experiment, unlike many others, used sunscreen concentrations representative of high usage diving, and bather events over coral reefs, similar to condition on heavily utilized coral reef dive sites. The test condition simulated normal sunscreen applications to a surface and did not use any solvents or dispersants to force the products into artificial solution.

This experimental test of Reef Safe sunscreen products, including at 30 times Expected Environmental Concentrations on corals showed no mortality or any significant differences , less than .05% change in condition relative to controls during 48 hour, 96 hour and 20 day duration LC50 tests.

Previous studies reported concentrations of oxybenzone to range from 75 to 1,400 µg/L in the US Virgin Islands, and from 0.8 to 19.2 µg/L in the Hawaiian Islands (Downs, et al. 2015). The aqueous concentrations from this test are well within the range observed for the Hawaiian Islands thus disproving the theory that Oxybenzone in Reef Safe formulas is harming corals and coral larvae.

At the end of the 20 day experiment, there were no mortalities and no significant difference observed at any level of exposure of test fragments relative to controls.

It's the levels and the percentages of the ingredients. Modern "junk science," has proclaimed that there are harmful ingredients in many of the products we consume. When you investigate you find that the amounts are so low that there is no harm. It's sort of like water. Water is good but it is possible to drink so much water that it will kill you. Reef Safe products are laboratory tested and manufactured to the highest standards following FDA guidelines. They have been tested and retested over the 30 years the company has been in business.
Yes, I read that when you first posted it. The results certainly support the idea that Oxybenzone concentration is irrelevant. And I agree that there has been plenty of junk science. But my question, again, is how was the following conclusion reached? "IT'S NOT ABOUT THE INGREDIENTS - IT'S ABOUT HOW THE INGREDIENTS ARE PROCESSED." I don't know what this means, nor how you arrive at that conclusion. Can you explain?
 
You posted your Mote results, but where were they published, and were they peer reviewed?

And why is that thread closed and locked?
 
Yes, I read that when you first posted it. The results certainly support the idea that Oxybenzone concentration is irrelevant. And I agree that there has been plenty of junk science. But my question, again, is how was the following conclusion reached? "IT'S NOT ABOUT THE INGREDIENTS - IT'S ABOUT HOW THE INGREDIENTS ARE PROCESSED." I don't know what this means, nor how you arrive at that conclusion. Can you explain?

It's how you select, formulate, and bond the ingredients in the formula. The Reef Safe chemist tried 3 different manufacturers of certain key ingredients before choosing the one being used- and he will not divulge the name of the company. The formula is complicated and proprietary but, for example, most sunscreens are manufactured in a 3 step process. Reef Safe takes 7 steps. The process was arrived at over a period of time with experiments and testing to develop the best formula and process that will not damage marine life. The tests from Mote simply validate the work.
 
I'm guessing to avoid discussion and have it be a pure advertisement. Misuse of ScubaBoard, as far as I'm concerned.
I've read a lot of scientific journals and have mentions in some of them. I don't see a study here, I see an experiment that took place at Mote. And Tropical Seas doesn't say it was a study either. So good on them for that.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/perdix-ai/

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