Stepping towards a neutral carbon footprint

Increased Carbon Dioxide (and equivalent) - CO2e - levels are a significant and harmful contributor to climate change. In turn, CO2 is directly responsible for the rise in ocean temperatures and acidification, two major drivers of global reef degradation. To further help coral reef ecosystems and play our part against...

After sun care, a skin health essential

Everyday your skin goes into defence mechanisms from UV radiation, even with regular SPF application. In other words, you don’t necessarily need to be sunburnt to suffer the long-term effects of UV-exposure. While using a broad-spectrum sunscreen is vital, we shouldn’t solely rely on sunscreen to give our skin all the protection...

Skin experts recommend wearing spf in winter, here is why...

 Can you feel it? The change in the air? It’s undeniable…winter is taking over. Your bikinis are already feeling neglected and you probably won’t touch your sunscreen tube for the next few months... Big mistake! Skin experts align on this: to avoid cumulative damages on the skin, SPF must be used...

Corals may be wearing nature's best sunscreen

Coral colony fluorescing under UV-light in the Philippines. (Photo credits: pictureboss.com) We humans have lost our natural barriers against harmful UV-rays...Fur, dust and mud use to be our sun-screens. Today, our skin's health depends on the use of protective clothing and creams. Corals on the other hand, had to come up...

The abc's of SPF

With summer fast approaching, what better time for a quick refresh on SPF fundamentals? We all have experienced the first summer day sunburn, from over-exposing our pasty white skins after a long winter. No harm should come to you this summer if you follow these must-know & do’s. UVs firstAustralians are...

How sunscreen put my health and workplace at risk for years

Most sunscreen formulas typically comprise up to 20 or more chemical compounds [1]. As the skin rapidly absorbs these chemicals, your health is directly affected via the bloodstream. So while sipping a cocktail by the pool after slip slap slopping sunscreen, your body is soaking its own shot of chemicals. Living most...

Sun of a screen

After years of carefree Slip, Slop, Slapping, beach goers and reef lovers have recently discovered that their chemical sunscreen was somehow poisoning their favourite aquatic playgrounds. To protect its coral reefs and the economy depending on them, the state of Hawaii was recently first in history to ban oxybenzone and octinoxate; two chemical UV-filters widely...

How can we give a break to coral reefs this summer?

In my lifetime, our planet has lost about half its coral reefs. From dynamite fishing to coastal pollution, predator invasions and lethal marine heat waves...these ecosystems are retreating everywhere after thriving for millions of years. Today, we know that the chemicals in our sunscreens are an additional source of pollution...

Look out! You are purchasing sunscreen

Long gone is the time when we covered ourselves in mud or olive oil to protect our skin from UV-rays. Today, sunscreens are made in the lab and available everywhere at any price and texture. The down side is? Whether you pick the cheap 5L tub or a fancy mist...

How +2°c can kill a coral reef

This time last year in the Seychelles, the lethal heat wave associated to the 2015/6 El Niño was weakening after several months of deadly impacts on the reefs. P4O was in the field, monitoring coral-bleaching impacts on a restored reef engineered by the NGO Nature Seychelles. Juvenile damselfish taking shelter in a bleached...

Cousin Island or the laws of the jungle

  Committing for a 2-months volunteering experience, we were determined to make the most of our time on “Cousin” as the locals call it. Nature Seychelles – the conservation NGO managing the island – was running a volunteer program at the time, offering training in island conservation. This tiny speck...