The Sturgeon Moon at Tillamook Head, north Oregon Coast. Photo: Jeffrey St. Clair.
The personal care industry has mastered the art of marketing eco-consciousness— evolving beyond familiar labels like “green,” “clean,” and “natural”—into a new wave of sea-inspired branding that claims to champion ocean conservation.
Terms such as “reef-safe” and “ocean-friendly” evoke images of crystalline waters and thriving coral reefs, yet behind the glossy marketing lies a regulatory murk. With no federal standards or clear definitions, consumers are left to navigate a tide of misleading labels.
As “ocean-safe” products flood the market—wrapped in teal hues and marine motifs—the illusion of ecological responsibility is gaining momentum, but it’s worth asking whether these gestures represent genuine sustainability or merely performative eco-branding.
Lorraine Dallmeier, CEO of Formula Botanica, warns that when sustainability becomes a marketing function, images can eclipse impact. “[M]arketing tells stories, it connects us with people, it builds communities, it grows businesses,” she says during the episode, “When Sustainability Reports to Marketing—Beauty’s Uncomfortable Truth,” on her Green Beauty Conversations podcast. “But when sustainability reports to marketing, we start prioritizing optics over action.”
The Critical Role of Coral Reefs in Supporting Biodiversity
Coral reefs are among the most biologically diverse ecosystems on Earth—hosting more than 25 percent of all marine species despite occupying less than 1 percent of the ocean floor, according to the Coral Reef Alliance.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) categorizes coral reefs as essential habitats, acting as nurseries and spawning grounds for countless fish species, crustaceans, mollusks, and marine food webs. According to the MIT Science Policy Review, coral reefs deliver substantial economic and cultural benefits—through fisheries, tourism, recreation, and even pharmaceutical discoveries—worth trillions of dollars globally.
The initial swell in ocean-centric marketing followed Hawaii’s 2018 ban on sunscreens containing oxybenzone and octinoxate—chemicals that filter ultraviolet (UV) radiation, which are harmful to ocean ecosystems.
The bill was informed by a 2015 study published in the Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology, which examined how chemical sunscreens can damage coral larvae and cells, causing coral bleaching, making them vulnerable to infection, and preventing them from getting the nutrients needed for survival. The study found that “the chemicals cause bleaching, deformities, DNA damage, and ultimately death in coral when they’re washed off beachgoers or discharged into wastewater treatment plants and deposited into bodies of water,” states a CNN article.
The Hawaii legislation represented a watershed moment in environmental regulation, drawing global attention to the hidden ecological costs of UV chemical filters and inspiring other nations, such as the U.S. Virgin Islands, Palau, Aruba, and Thailand, to adopt similar restrictions to protect ocean life.
While the chemical impact of sunscreens on marine environments is well-documented, critics argue that the personal care product (PCP) industry doesn’t always honor the principles of the 2018 legislation passed by Hawaii.
How the Chemicals in Sunscreen Are Harming Ocean Life
According to a 2023 National Geographic article, “14,000 tons of sunscreen are thought to wash into the oceans each year,” and 82,000 chemicals from PCPs are found in the seas.
In a 2022 study, scientists from Stanford University revealed that animals process oxybenzone and UV radiation differently than humans; their metabolic systems alter the molecule in ways that make it reactive under sunlight, producing harmful reactive oxygen species that damage cells.
“The way sunscreens work is they chemically occlude the sun,” said oceanographer and educator David Hastings in an interview for this article. “And if you’re a coral trying to make a living by photosynthesizing, your symbiotic algae are sitting there, dying for the light.”
Even mineral sunscreens marketed as “reef-safe” can pose risks to ocean ecosystems under certain conditions. While they avoid chemical UV filters, many products contain zinc oxide or titanium dioxide, which are manufactured as nanoparticles. Due to their small size, these nanoparticles can bypass water treatment systems and bioaccumulate in marine organisms, according to a 2018 study published in Science of The Total Environment.
“Current research has only scratched the surface of understanding how these chemicals can affect marine life,” notes lead author of a 2025 report, Anneliese Hodge, PhD researcher at Plymouth Marine Laboratory and the University of Plymouth. “What’s particularly concerning is that these compounds are considered ‘pseudo-persistent pollutants’ due to their continuous introduction into marine environments as well as an overall lack of understanding of how they then interact with others in the sea.”
PCPs expose aquatic environments to various chemicals, including synthetic polymers, microplastics, siloxanes, and parabens.
Notably, microplastics—or microbeads—in facial scrubs and body washes have become one of the most visible examples of hidden plastic pollution; marine organisms—from plankton to fish—ingest the tiny plastic particles, which leads to oxidative stress, endocrine disruption, reduced growth, and altered behavior, according to a 2022 study published in Frontiers in Environmental Science.
Scientists warn that claims about “biodegradable” or “organic” microbeads made from plant starches, cellulose, or bioplastics such as polylactic acid can be misleading. Once released into the environment, these materials behave much like conventional plastics: They do not dissolve or readily break down in water and instead accumulate in rivers and oceans, according to the United Nations Environment Program.
The Business of ‘Bluewashing’
While sunscreens exposed the problem, chemical hazards extend across the spectrum of personal care products, and the industry’s growth only magnifies the stakes. Valued at $54.36 billion in 2024, the PCP market is projected to reach $90.40 billion by 2032, according to figures provided by Fortune Business Insights for 2025.
Although the overall personal care sector grew by a modest 2 percent in 2021, sales of “clean” beauty products jumped 8.1 percent, with items free of parabens, sulfates, and phthalates showing the most substantial gains at 13 percent, according to data from global marketing research firm NielsenIQ.
This shift in consumer behavior is reinforced by a 2020 McKinsey & Company survey, which found that between 60 percent and 70 percent of U.S. consumers are willing to pay more for products with sustainable packaging. Other research indicates that 68 percent will pay extra for items that specifically promote commitments to ocean conservation.
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