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How Eco-Friendly is Your Sunscreen?

How Eco-Friendly is Your Sunscreen?
Contributors
Science Buddies
Non-profit organization offering free STEM resources for hands-on learning | Science Buddies
Bottle of sunscreen, goggles, and seashell sitting in the sand next to the ocean
Summary
Imagine a wonderful summer day at the beach. You play in the sand, swim in the ocean—and, of course, put a lot of sunscreen on. The sunscreen protects your skin from harmful ultraviolet (UV) radiation. Special ingredients absorb or reflect the UV rays so they do not harm your skin. Different types of sunscreen have different types of ingredients, and some of them can be harmful to the environment—especially if they get into the ocean. In this science project, you will put your sunscreen to the test and investigate how much of the UV-absorbing chemicals on your skin end up in the water.

This project idea was developed and written by Svenja Lohner, Ph.D., scientist with Science Buddies.

Lohner, Svenja. "How Eco-Friendly is Your Sunscreen?" Science Buddies, 10 Mar. 2023, https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project-ideas/GreenChem_p008/green-chemistry/sunscreen-water-solubility.
Keywords
STEM
Chemistry
Chemistry Education
Chemical Engineering
Science Project
Hands-on Learning
Sunscreen
Ultraviolet Light
Ultraviolet Index
Green Chemistry
Water Solubility
Water Pollution
Toxicity

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Moderation state
Published
Object Type
Laboratory experiment
Activities/Technology (e.g., in-class activities, online games, hands-on activities/manipulatives, outreach, virtual tools, etc.)
Audience
High School (Secondary School)
Published on
Green Chemistry Principles
Waste Prevention
Designing Safer Chemicals
U.N. Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
Good Health and Well-Being
Life Below Water
Learning Goals/Student Objectives
Investigate how much of a sunscreen's UV-absorbing chemicals get from the skin into the water at different intervals after sunscreen application.
Common pedagogies covered
Hands-on learning
Time required (if applicable)
Short (2 - 5 days)

Submitted by

Science Buddies
Safety Precautions, Hazards, and Risk Assessment
N/A
Teacher Recommendations or Piloting Data (if available)
N/A
Link to external
Science Buddies: How Eco-Friendly is Your Sunscreen
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.