Sunny days are back, and sun exposure too. So it’s time, if you haven’t already, to pick your sunscreen for spring, and in anticipation of summer. In addition to an effective cream to reduce the risk of sunburn, ecological awareness tips the balance towards a product that is respectful of the environment and the seabed.
It is not “proven” that a product is truly organic
A consumer explains to the BFMTV that the product is sought to be “as little chemical as possible”, to avoid the multiplication of components “that could be harmful”. He is aware that labels now indicate that a cream is not harmful to the oceans, for example, but “it can be very naive” to believe it, he admits.
A test, sent by the team of BFMTV reporters to a laboratory, showed that there was indeed no real difference between the classic creams and those that claim to be organic, “which is not necessarily proven”, according to Stéphane Pirnay, a toxicology expert. .
“What is indicated on the label is not necessarily authorized by the regulations,” explains the specialist. “This must be fixed to comply with the regulations”
25,000 tons of solar products in the oceans
Therefore, it is difficult to find an eco-friendly sunscreen. Ocean advocacy NGOs like Surfrider simply advise “don’t use this kind of cream.”
“It is better to use T-shirts or lycra, which will allow you to protect yourself” from the sun’s rays, estimates Marc Valmassoni, head of Surfrider’s water quality program, at BFMTV, who calls at least to “reduce” your use of sunscreen.
According to the NGO, each year 25,000 tons of sun protection products are dumped into the oceans. Without any of them being really less harmful.
“Disturbance of the balance of entire ecosystems”
Surfrider deplored, in an article published on its website in May 2022, that sunscreens, considered cosmetic products in Europe, do not have to meet criteria regarding their “impact on the marine environment.” However, these products are subject to compliance with criteria on SPF (Sun Protection Factor) or even resistance to water, stresses the NGO.
“UV filters (contained in creams, editor’s note) will directly impact the growth, reproduction and mortality of certain species, indirectly causing their disappearance and altering the balance of entire ecosystems,” the NGO explains on its website.
Surfrider also assures that it is not only “tropical or highly touristic areas” that are affected by this chemical contamination, although a higher concentration of UV filters increases its harmfulness.
Source: BFM TV
