Sailing sustainably has become quite the thing. No surprise then when Sir Ben Ainslie’s America’s Cup team, LandRover BAR, selected Aethic as its official sunscreen supplier.
Here is a company that tested candidate ingredients on coral and having rejected those that were harmful, only used those that left coral intact. It then made a product and tested this again in its entirety; The very first Eco-compatible sunscreen to protect your skin while sparing marine life.
This scientific work, carried out by one of the world’s leading marine scientists (who discovered the problem to start with), was submitted for a patent. The European Patent Office approved it.
Did you know most sunscreens we use accidentally kill corals ?
Meanwhile, other sailing teams soon selected this product too. Artemis Racing, Conrad Colman taking part in the Vendée Globe and now Vestas 11th Hour Racing in the Volvo Ocean Race all use Aethic Sôvée. They all prize it for its great protective qualities which three sun filters and the fact that it has Vitamin E and only food grade preservatives.
Aethic Eco-compatible Sunscreen 50 SPF
So that’s a great start in protecting skin properly and combating the damage wrought by most sunscreens on coral and marine life.
It is estimated that 14,000 tons of sunscreen hit the ocean annually and that they account for 10% of annual coral decimation.
And biodegradable, while sounding nice, is irrelevant. Just because ingredients degrade, dissolve or dilute, doesn’t mean that they do no harm. It takes only one particle to set off a viral epidemic in coral which can kill an entire reef.
Problem: Coral reef gets damaged by most sunscreen we use
Did you know that Zinc Oxide and Titanium Dioxide have been found to damage phyto-plankton, which is another life-supporting pillar of marine life?
So-called Mineral, natural and organic ingredients, notably Zinc Oxide and Titanium Dioxide, aren’t necessarily the answer either. Firstly, let’s be clear, all sun filters are still man made. So calling these natural or organic is a stretch. Secondly, Zinc Oxide and Titanium Dioxide have been found to damage phyto-plankton, which is another life-supporting pillar of marine life – alongside coral. When it comes to ‘organic’, well, crude oil is organic – when left under hundreds of metres of bedrock it does no harm. Pour millions of gallons into the Mexican Gulf and….. Come to mention it, Arsenic is organic….
The real point is compatibility. As is the case of so many things in life. Sunscreen ingredients need to be compatible with marine life. That’s the point.
So maybe when Aethic scientifically proved that their short, simple, ingredient list was ecocompatible, and had this evidence confirmed by peer scientific review, and had the patent approved, it proved too much for one major competitor.
The Nivea-giant Beiersdorf opposed the patent a few days short of the nine month opposition deadline. And Aethic now has to fend it off by countering their opposition at the European Patent Office.
It’s gotten nasty out there in the fight to protect skin and save the ocean. And one large company is not making it easier for Aethic to continue in its mission.
We decided to support Aethic in raising the legal fees to fend off Beiersdorf. If you believe that good products should not be crashed by other companies simply because they have the financial resources to do it, take action now and donate. www.fundaethic.com
The fight is on and you can make a great difference. Fund Aethic or choose Aethic as your skincare product of choice when you go at sea.
