Respecting life & aquatic ecosystems: NAOS commitments to develop reef-safe sunscreen

Corals are living organisms, and the reefs that they create make up only 0.1%-0.2% of the surface area of the oceans: around 3000km in total around the world- the same size as the country of Italy!

But their small size should not be underestimated: corals are home to 25% of our planet’s marine life! They are the basis for the formation of other ecosystems. Indeed, coral reefs are an important food resource and provide about 10% of the fish caught worldwide.

Corals cohabit in harmony with micro-algae. but when environmental stress becomes too strong, they expel this micro-algae and die.

They are also a fundamental physical barrier to coastlines: they are absorbing wave energy and reducing damage in case of natural disasters. They protect both the ecosystems between reefs and coasts (lagoon, seagrass beds) as well as human settlements along the coast.

Corals benefit the global ecosystems. Unfortunately, threats are multiplying against it over the years. Threats can be natural such as diseases, predators, and storms.  But others threats are caused by people: climate change, the rise of ocean temperature, chemicals, such as those potentially present in sun care products. 

This is why at BIODERMA we want to make sure our products do not have any impact on coral viability.

Most structures that we call "coral" are in fact made up of hundreds to thousands of tiny coral creatures called polyps. 

Tests are conducted on coral fragments to measure the impact of sunscreen filters, by observing these polyps retraction and fragment bleaching after 48h & 96h of exposure to the product sample.

If the product does not cause polyp retraction or bleaching, it then fulfils 1 of our 3 ecotoxicity criteria.

Marine algae are living organisms playing a fundamental role in the carbon cycle. Indeed, they are capable of oxygen photosynthesis thus contribute to limiting the greenhouse effect.

They also are very important organisms in the aquatic ecosystem, as they make up the base of the ocean’s food web. They support healthy fish and crustacean populations by providing them with a habitat, acting as a nursery for biodiversity.

Using the NF ISO 10253 method, which tests the growth rate of algae cells (Phaeodactylum tricornutum) after 72 hours of exposure to the product ingredients sample. For this test, we use much higher concentrations of the ingredients than the algae would be exposed to in their natural habitat, in order to ensure an even more limited effect in reality.

If the product does not affect the growth of marine algae, it then fulfils 2 out of our 3 ecotoxicity criteria.

These organisms, also known as « Daphnia Magna Straus » are part of freshwater ecosystems. The size a few millimetres down to a few microns.

Despite their microscopic size, they are the base of the food chain of most lakes, and therefore play a key role in maintaining the balance of aquatic ecosystems.

As they are a source of food for many small fish and other aquatic life, a lack of Daphnia can cause a drop in these fish populations, as well as algae overgrowth, as Daphnia feed on these plants.

This is why at BIODERMA we want to make sure our products do not have any impact on freshwater plankton viability.

We use the OECD 202 method on Daphnia Magna Straus, which determines the toxicity level of the product based on the reaction of young Daphnia, or water fleas. Mobility is measured after 24h & 48h to determine the concentration at which they are immobilized.

If after 48h the Daphnia are not immobilized, the product then passes the 3rd of our ecotoxicity criteria and is considered not to be toxic or dangerous for the environment.