Our Waters
We love to play in, on, and under the waters of our planet.
The coral reefs, our oceans, the fragile balance of our freshwater sources and all the creatures within shouldn’t be harmed while we are protecting our bodies.
It’s time to make a change; if we want to play in the water, we should also be responsible for what we bring into it. Understanding how our choices for skin care affects marine environments that we love is the first step to choosing better.
%
of our planet is water.
%
of that water is freshwater.
%
of that freshwater is water we can actually use.
Be eco-conscious. What we put into our rivers, lakes and streams matter.
If the world’s freshwater supply amounted to a full bathtub, the amount easily accessible to humanity (what we have available to us regularly) would fill a thimble. It doesn’t seem like much. Yet even this little thimble full of water is, in theory, enough to sustain all life on our planet.
Fresh waters contain elements like calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium, carbon, chlorine, and sulfur—as well as plant nutrients such as nitrogen, silicon, and phosphorus. Matter breaks down naturally into these elements and keeps a healthy balance. But introduce skin care, and that environment is affected.
When chemicals from sunscreens, shampoo, leave-in conditioner, moisturizers and more end up in freshwater sources, the balance is disrupted. These ingredients may cause physiological changes in aquatic organisms and may become lethal at high concentrations.
%
of water is in our oceans.
%
of all marine life rely on coral reefs for their survival.
%
of the ocean floor is covered in coral reefs.
%
of coral reefs are at risk from human impact.
Be Eco-Conscious. What we put into our oceans matter.
Certain ingredients commonly used in sunscreen, cosmetics, and soaps are highly toxic to corals and marine life. These include benzophenone-2, oxybenzone, octinoxate and parabens –
as well as coatings used on zinc oxide to reduce whitening.
When these chemicals are introduced to our waters, the coral can get sick and expel their life-giving algae. Without these algae, the coral can “bleach” (turn white) and may even die. This, in turn, affects thousands of species of fish, which eventually affects us.
True, the ocean is pretty darn big – and some may think “My body is just one drop in the big bucket.” But when one person chooses to be eco-conscious, they have the opportunity to share their choice with others. Eventually, good changes can happen and a difference will be made.