Half of consumers think that sun protection products contain ingredients that harm the environment(1). Furthermore, we know that around 25,000 tonnes of sun cream gets into the sea every year. That’s on top of the eight million tonnes of plastic and climate change, pollution and over-fishing that already threaten the oceans and are the number one cause of sea floor damage(2). We are all becoming more responsible when it comes to choosing sun protection in order to avoid contributing further to this destruction of the marine environment. So when formulating our new sun protection range that respects skin and the marine environment, we excluded all controversial filters and ingredients. But we didn’t stop there. We wanted to be sure that the products themselves meet environmental biodegradability and ecotoxicity criteria, not just the ingredients. Even though we selected our ingredients with the greatest care and rigour, we needed to ensure they don’t form a toxic substance when combined in the formulas.

[Which ecotoxicity tests did we decide to carry out?]

It is essential that we limit the impact of our products on the marine environment, but it is impossible to test them on every single organism that makes up the oceans. So we chose two species that belong to the phytoplankton and zooplankton families.

[Why phytoplankton and zooplankton?]

Phytoplankton and zooplankton are microalgae and microorganisms that are essential to the growth of corals. They provide food for corals and give them their distinctive colour.

[Why are corals so important?]

Coral reefs are veritable larders of the oceans, and provide a habitat for 25% of marine species. Some two million different species live alongside each other in the coral reefs. If we don’t damage microalgae and microorganisms that are essential to the growth of corals, we will not be disrupting the natural balance of marine life, and the coral will continue to provide shelter and habitats for many different living species.

[How do these ecotoxicity tests work?]

We carried out two ecotoxicity tests: one on algae, more specifically Phaeodactylum tricornutum which belongs to the phytoplankton family (tested in accordance with standard NF EN ISO 10253). The other test was on aquatic invertebrates, more specifically the species Acartia tonsa which belongs to the copepod family, one of the main members of zooplankton (tested in accordance with standard FD ISO 14669).

These two tests allowed us to determine the concentration of our product required to observe a harmful effect. We found that the concentration of our product in the sea did not correspond to this value and that we are well below it. Our products passed the tests with flying colours.

These ecotoxicity tests are important if the formula reaches the ocean depths, which is why we wanted to check that our formulas break down rapidly.

In addition to the ecotoxicity tests, we tested the biodegradability of all our products in accordance with OECD standard 301F. A product is considered easily biodegradable if it achieves 60% biodegradation after 10 days. And the aim is for the product to be 100% biodegraded after 28 days.

[What does biodegradable really mean?]

A biodegradable product means that, due to the action of living organisms such as bacteria, it breaks down into components that have no harmful effect on the environment. This backs up our ecotoxicity tests.

[Where did we carry out these tests?]

The tests were performed at a French laboratory in Rouen that specialises in testing, analysis and certification.
 

1-2020 study of sun protection products in pharmacies/parapharmacies: buyer behaviour, best practice and brand images – second edition, carried out by ARCANE Research among 920 buyers between 29 September and 22 October 2020 ; 2- https://www.wwf.fr