Plant pollen finds use in coral-friendly, skin-cooling sunscreen
newatlas.com
Minerals such as titanium dioxide and zinc oxide are very effective sunscreen ingredients, but they can harm coral reefs if used in their non-nanoparticle form. An experimental new sunscreen forgoes the minerals altogether, replacing them with "just-as-effective" plant pollen.
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The original was posted on /r/science by /u/mvea on 2025-09-07 09:29:46+00:00.

Original Title: Experimental new sunscreen forgoes minerals, replacing them with plant pollen. When applied to animal skin in lab tests, it rated SPF 30, blocking 97% UV rays. It had no effect on corals, even after 60 days. By contrast, corals died of bleaching within 6 days of exposure to commercial sunscreens.