In the midst of a sunny summer and vacations to the beach, sunscreen sales skyrocket. One thing that many people can forget, however, is how harmful certain sunscreens are to the environment. Several sunscreen ingredients can kill off aquatic life, which may be the very reason for your summer vacation to the ocean in the first place.

One USA Today report stated that as much as “6000 metric tons of sunscreen washes off swimmers worldwide each year,” having a devastating effect on coral reefs.

According to another recent study published in Environmental Health Perspectives, the four most damaging and commonly found ingredients in sunscreen are parabens, cinnamate, benzophenone, and a camphor derivative. These chemicals, when washed off, awaken dormant viruses in algae found in coral reefs infecting the coral and neighboring aquatic life.

Several companies have made it their goal to make products that help protect people against the sun and steer clear of toxic chemicals. Some of these are Kiss My Face, UV Natural, and Caribbean Solutions.