The Sorceress’ Stone

Hey—the ocean called, and she wants you to stop using toxic sunscreens

Stone and Star crystal shop promotes the powers of crystals

Hawaii became the first US state this year to ban the sale of any sunscreens containing ingredients linked to the harming or destruction of coral reefs: oxybenzone and octinoxate.

Since then, the US Virgin Islands and the island city of Key West in Florida have followed in Hawaii’s footsteps with similar bans. But it was the Pacific archipelago of Palau, which prides itself on being a “pristine paradise” for divers, that set the precedent in 2020 when it became the first country to ban ‘reef toxic’ sunscreen.

“This is a big issue for reef environments that rely on tourism and heavy people traffic,” says Craig Leeson, who directed the documentary A Plastic Ocean.

It’s estimated that up to 6,000 tonnes of sunscreen wash into the world’s coral reefs each year, with much of that concentrated in popular diving and snorkelling sites, of which Asia boasts some of the best and most sought-after by travellers.

So in demand are certain Asian destinations that popular islands, including Boracay in the Philippines, and Maya Bay on Phi Phi Island of The Beach fame in Thailand, made headlines when they were temporarily closed in an attempt to recover from damage caused by overtourism.