jaedam0820 Posted April 25, 2022 Report Share Posted April 25, 2022 I just watched a YT cruise vlog and it was mentioned there that only reef safe sunblock screens are allowed? Is this true or just normal sunscreen products are ok? This is my first time cruising and I hate to jeopardize it for not following regulations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChanaC Posted April 25, 2022 Report Share Posted April 25, 2022 27 minutes ago, jaedam0820 said: I just watched a YT cruise vlog and it was mentioned there that only reef safe sunblock screens are allowed? Is this true or just normal sunscreen products are ok? This is my first time cruising and I hate to jeopardize it for not following regulations. I don't think they are checking and confiscating any non reef safe sunscreens, but they may only sell reef safe stuff on the ship and at Coco Cay and Ladadee. For what it's worth though, a lot of big brand sunscreen makers like Neutrogena and Banana Boat have started making reef safe products. Take a look at the ingredients, and I believe anything that doesn't include the ingredients Oxybenzone and Octinoxate are considered safe, even if it's not advertised on the bottle. ChessE4 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaedam0820 Posted April 25, 2022 Author Report Share Posted April 25, 2022 1 hour ago, ChanaC said: I don't think they are checking and confiscating any non reef safe sunscreens, but they may only sell reef safe stuff on the ship and at Coco Cay and Ladadee. For what it's worth though, a lot of big brand sunscreen makers like Neutrogena and Banana Boat have started making reef safe products. Take a look at the ingredients, and I believe anything that doesn't include the ingredients Oxybenzone and Octinoxate are considered safe, even if it's not advertised on the bottle. I didn't know this until now. Thank you so much. Would look into it. ChanaC 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vlad Posted April 25, 2022 Report Share Posted April 25, 2022 Max reef safe goes up to SPF 50, I've seen 70 once , but without those ingredients, sunblock isn't really working the same way. You're much more likely to get burned, especially if you don't apply it completely like they suggest, every 80 min. I'm not sure if links from Amazon allowed here. Or that's advertisement? Can give you couple to choose from. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reigert2008 Posted April 25, 2022 Report Share Posted April 25, 2022 We've seen it listed on a few excursions, but so far no one has checked. We purchased some for our last cruise and as we use up the "bad stuff" we will only buy the reef safe versions for ease of travel. jaedam0820 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vlad Posted April 25, 2022 Report Share Posted April 25, 2022 10 minutes ago, Reigert2008 said: We've seen it listed on a few excursions, but so far no one has checked. We purchased some for our last cruise and as we use up the "bad stuff" we will only buy the reef safe versions for ease of travel. It's listed almost everywhere. But I doubt that they have the right to actually check everything you're using. It might be against privacy policy. jaedam0820 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaedam0820 Posted April 25, 2022 Author Report Share Posted April 25, 2022 36 minutes ago, Vlad said: Max reef safe goes up to SPF 50, I've seen 70 once , but without those ingredients, sunblock isn't really working the same way. You're much more likely to get burned, especially if you don't apply it completely like they suggest, every 80 min. I'm not sure if links from Amazon allowed here. Or that's advertisement? Can give you couple to choose from. I've looked at Amazon for reef safe sunblocks and the most I've seen is SPF70. Wish there's something higher than 70. Thank you. I will look around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vlad Posted April 25, 2022 Report Share Posted April 25, 2022 8 minutes ago, jaedam0820 said: I've looked at Amazon for reef safe sunblocks and the most I've seen is SPF70. Wish there's something higher than 70. Thank you. I will look around. I doubtful... I've already looked everywhere for a while... And that 70 isn't the same... Those 2 ingredients are one of the main ones that give strong uva uvb protection. So without them sunblock aren't the same at all. Probably more like 30-50. I myself use 100, because of white skin and I swim a lot. And you get burned much easier in water. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riley Posted April 25, 2022 Report Share Posted April 25, 2022 You can buy some of them at Walgreens these days and probably Walmart and CVS too. It's becoming more common. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaedam0820 Posted April 25, 2022 Author Report Share Posted April 25, 2022 36 minutes ago, Reigert2008 said: We've seen it listed on a few excursions, but so far no one has checked. We purchased some for our last cruise and as we use up the "bad stuff" we will only buy the reef safe versions for ease of travel. I didn't think it would be required so I bought the normal sunblock lotions we'd been using for years. I'd look around in Amazon. Thank you for replying! Vlad 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reigert2008 Posted April 25, 2022 Report Share Posted April 25, 2022 9 minutes ago, jaedam0820 said: I didn't think it would be required so I bought the normal sunblock lotions we'd been using for years. I'd look around in Amazon. Thank you for replying! While you will "probably" be ok, In my opinion, it's best to have the reef safe "in case" the excursion vendor checks your sunscreen when you pull it out of your bag to apply. Of course, they can't check what you put on in your cabin before you arrive, but once you are on the excursion, you may fall subject to rules, regulations, and fines in the other country. For us, it's just easier to have it and use it and never have to think about it. Peppwave 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaedam0820 Posted April 25, 2022 Author Report Share Posted April 25, 2022 40 minutes ago, Reigert2008 said: While you will "probably" be ok, In my opinion, it's best to have the reef safe "in case" the excursion vendor checks your sunscreen when you pull it out of your bag to apply. Of course, they can't check what you put on in your cabin before you arrive, but once you are on the excursion, you may fall subject to rules, regulations, and fines in the other country. For us, it's just easier to have it and use it and never have to think about it. Do they check the sunscreen even though we won't snorkel? The only excursion we would be participating in would be the semi sub panorama in Roatan and aviary in Costa Maya. The sunscreen mostly would be used while on the ship and by the beachside on port days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vlad Posted April 25, 2022 Report Share Posted April 25, 2022 7 minutes ago, jaedam0820 said: Do they check the sunscreen even though we won't snorkel? The only excursion we would be participating in would be the semi sub panorama in Roatan and aviary in Costa Maya. The sunscreen mostly would be used while on the ship and by the beachside on port days. Don't start making people panicking. No one ever going to check your sunblock! Anywhere! But to make sure you not worried yourself. Can buy Neutrogena spray 70spf, it contains no oxybenzone. That's the ingredient you not suppose to use. It's under $10 online. jaedam0820 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reigert2008 Posted April 25, 2022 Report Share Posted April 25, 2022 9 minutes ago, jaedam0820 said: Do they check the sunscreen even though we won't snorkel? The only excursion we would be participating in would be the semi sub panorama in Roatan and aviary in Costa Maya. The sunscreen mostly would be used while on the ship and by the beachside on port days. I'm just saying they could check and for that reason we carry the "allowed" sunblock. I don't want to have any hassle while I'm on vacation, much less when I'm away from my home country and have to deal with thier requirements. I'm a "rule Follower" and I read all the documents, policies, and excursion notes and make sure I'm compliant. In my opinion, I'll never have a hassle for following the documents. This is how we cruise, but many others here will have differing opinions. Not a big deal, i was just sharing how we do it. Peppwave and jaedam0820 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reigert2008 Posted April 25, 2022 Report Share Posted April 25, 2022 8 minutes ago, Vlad said: Don't start making people panicking. No one should panic and that was not my intent, i was just sharing how we do things and the thought process I went through the first time I saw this requirement on an excursion. 8 minutes ago, Vlad said: No one ever going to check your sunblock! Anywhere! While they probably won't ever check, there is always the chance that you are on an excursion that is "being tested for compliance" so in theory they could check. At the end of the day, i take whatever steps I can to minimize any hassle and shared my process. Everyone has thier process and people can choose whatever they like, not a big deal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirsten Posted April 25, 2022 Report Share Posted April 25, 2022 Why wouldn't you want reef safe sunscreen? Better for your skin as well as for the environment. Most mineral sunscreens are biodegradable and reef safe. I love Bare Republic mineral sunscreen sprays. They don't leave a white film like some mineral sunscreens do. You can buy it at Target or Amazon. Peppwave 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vlad Posted April 25, 2022 Report Share Posted April 25, 2022 15 minutes ago, Kirsten said: Why wouldn't you want reef safe sunscreen? Better for your skin as well as for the environment. Most mineral sunscreens are biodegradable and reef safe. I love Bare Republic mineral sunscreen sprays. They don't leave a white film like some mineral sunscreens do. You can buy it at Target or Amazon. Because they not as powerful. Even if you match spf, that's just what they claim biodegradable spf 70,is more like 30-50 spf in real life. And you can't possible reapply it every hour and for kids... You would literally need dozens of bottles for your cruise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AspiringCruisePlanner Posted April 25, 2022 Report Share Posted April 25, 2022 1 hour ago, Kirsten said: Why wouldn't you want reef safe sunscreen? Better for your skin as well as for the environment. "Reef safe" or "Reef friendly" are not terms that have regulations behind them. So theoretically, any company could tag that on any product without issues, even if they did contain supposed harmful chemicals. The truth is there has not been enough real-world studies to determine the harmful effects of chemicals in sunscreen. The truth is utilizing sunscreens that don't have the proper chemical balance to protect against UV-A and UV-B rays can have a serious negative effect on your health. An interesting fact is that many mineral based sunscreens contain titanium dioxide as an active ingredient which has been shown to produce hydrogen peroxide in the water which also can have negative effects on marine life in higher concentrations. Also, mineral based sunscreens have been tested and frequently proven to be less effective at sun protection than conventional sunscreen, even if the SPF ratings say otherwise. It does seem that the consensus is oxybenzone and octinoxate appear to have the most negative effects and if you want to watch out for the environment, get sunscreen that doesn't contain those chemicals until more research has been conducted. There's a huge amount of sunscreen brands that don't have those chemicals, but don't advertise as reef safe. There's a lot of misinformation out there on this subject, so make sure to stay informed. Here's a great article by Consumer Reports on this subject: https://www.consumerreports.org/sunscreen/the-truth-about-reef-safe-sunscreen-a3578637894/ Peppwave and ChessE4 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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