Off on holiday

If you’re planning a holiday in Hawaii soon, you’ll need to read the small print on your sun cream first. Because from 1 January 2021 this island state is banning sunscreen that contains octinoxate and oxybenzone because they harm ocean ecosystems.

But you’ll still be allowed to take
RINGANA FRESH sunscreen with you to Big Island.

14,000 tons of sun cream end up in our oceans every year and that’s no good at all for the creatures who live in them. Hawaii alone has nine million visitors per year. Once they all have plenty of sun cream on and “dive” into the ocean, it has an effect on marine life and the prevailing ecosystem.

That is why Hawaii has now decided to ban sun protection products that contain octinoxate and oxybenzone with effect from 1 January 2021. Here are some quotes from the new law: “Oxybenzone and octinoxate cause mortality in developing coral;” … “The chemicals also induce deformities in the embryonic development of fish, sea urchins, coral, and shrimp and induce neurological behavioral changes in fish that threaten the continuity of fish populations.”

^{(Source:  https://legiscan.com/HI/text/SB2571/id/1788969)}

Natural sun cream – the myths

“YES, BUT IT’S NOT SO WATERPROOF.”

The shimmering film of oil in the sea or the pool makes it obvious to anybody that they are wrong to believe that conventional sun cream is waterproof. Thanks to the innovative water-in-oil emulsion in RINGANA FRESH sunscreen, this sun cream is exceptionally waterproof. With this formulation, water is enclosed in drops of oil and simply rolls off. That means the sun cream stays where it’s supposed to – on your skin.

“YES, BUT IT DOESN’T REALLY WORK PROPERLY.”

Mineral pigments like titanium dioxide and zinc oxide remain on the surface of the skin and reflect the light like little mirrors. This is how they protect you from sunburn and from UVA & UVB rays. On top of that, they start working straight away. With SPF 20, FRESH sunscreen filters out around 95 per cent of UV rays. With SPF 50, it would only be three per cent more – 98 per cent.

“YES, BUT IT’S NOT SO EASY TO APPLY.”

These days, natural products with purely mineral filters can easily hold their own with conventional products. Natural sun creams also care for your skin thanks to their special ingredients. In RINGANA FRESH sunscreen, for instance, crambe seed oil from East Africa makes it easy to apply, while plant oils and substances with an antioxidant effect care for your skin.

“YES, BUT IT MAKES YOU SO WHITE.”

That “whitening effect” is now almost entirely consigned to the past. New forms of emulsion can be easily applied and are not so whitening.

“IT’S ALL A FAIRY TALE.”

Synthetic UV filters from sun creams have meanwhile been found in the Baltic as well. Some of them act on the organism like hormones; others are absorbed by the environment and in organisms. We don’t know what the long-term effects will be. Synthetic UV filters have already been found in breast milk as well.

“HAWAII’S JUST PULLING OFF A PR STUNT.”

Naturally, synthetic sun protection filters are not solely responsible for the extinction of various species and ocean pollution. However, they would appear to have some share in it, which is why similar bans have already been put in place in parts of Mexico.