--- description: While sunscreen can protect us, new research revealed that a chemical in some sunscreens can destroy coral reefs. title: This Graphic Shows How Your Sunscreen Can Hurt Coral Reefs image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- * [Health](/section/health/) ## Health Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Environment](/tag/environment/) ## Environment Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # This Graphic Shows How Your Sunscreen Can Hurt Coral Reefs by [Alexandra Sifferlin](/author/alexandra-sifferlin/) and [Heather Jones](/author/heather-jones/) Oct 21, 2015 10:31 PM CUT by [Alexandra Sifferlin](/author/alexandra-sifferlin/) and [Heather Jones](/author/heather-jones/) Oct 21, 2015 10:31 PM CUT While sunscreen can protect from sunburns, skin cancer and premature aging, [new research](http://time.com/4080985/sunscreen-coral-reefs/ "undefined") published Wednesday revealed that a chemical found in many formulas can contribute to the destruction of coral reefs. As [TIME reported](http://time.com/4080985/sunscreen-coral-reefs/ "undefined"), new research published in the journal _Archives of Environmental Contamination and_ _Toxicology_ revealed that the chemical oxybenzone is harmful to coral in a variety of ways. Sometimes called the “rainforests of the ocean,” coral is integral to biodiversity and to the environmental health of ocean life, including fish. Local economies also rely on beautiful coral as a tourist draw. The graphic explains everything you need to know about oxybenzone—and how you can avoid it if you choose to. For more information on sunscreens that don’t contain oxybenzone, check out [this list](http://www.ewg.org/2015sunscreen/best-sunscreens/best-beach-sport-sunscreens/ "undefined") from the Environmental Working Group (EWG).  ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4082272/coral-reefs-sunscreen-oxybenzone/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4082272/coral-reefs-sunscreen-oxybenzone/"},"headline":"This Graphic Shows How Your Sunscreen Can Hurt Coral Reefs","datePublished":"2015-10-21T22:31:53.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T04:50:35.191Z","description":"And how you can prevent it","url":"https://time.com/4082272/coral-reefs-sunscreen-oxybenzone/","keywords":["Environment","sunscreen"],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Alexandra Sifferlin","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/alexandra-sifferlin/"},{"@type":"Person","name":"Heather Jones","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/heather-jones/"}],"articleSection":"Health","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/health/","name":"Health"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/environment/","name":"Environment"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4082272/coral-reefs-sunscreen-oxybenzone/","name":"This Graphic Shows How Your Sunscreen Can Hurt Coral Reefs"}}]}] ```