What Does Reef-Safe SPF Mean?

You know and love our original Prismatic Luminizing Shield SPF 50, but have you met our new facial sunscreen?

The Mineral Prismatic Luminizing Shield SPF 35 is a 100% mineral formula that still provides the main benefits you love from our first sunscreen. It’s the anti-sunscreen for the sunscreen haters. It’s never greasy, smelly, thick, and doesn't leave an extreme white cast like so many traditional sunscreens do. This way, you have no excuse to skip out on your much-needed, daily SPF application. There's a reason it's so highly rated by our community! 😉 We also stuck to similar main ingredients to keep it as close to the widely-loved texture as possible. This mineral formula has been tweaked to feature 23.2% of Zinc Oxide to provide broad spectrum UVA & UVB protection.

Both of our formulas uniquely features prism powder, a proprietary micronized powder that provides eye-catching luminosity and minimizes the appearance of pores. Kiwi fruit water, ku shen root extract, and licorice extract team up to reduce the look of dark spots (commonly a result from too much sun exposure). Everyone's favorite ingredient, hyaluronic acid, is also included for hydrating and visibly plumping benefits. Our Mineral Prismatic Luminizing Shield SPF 35 offers so much more than your average SPF with added eco-conscious benefits.

Now, you may be wondering, what’s so different about it then? Our new mineral sunscreen is reef-safe! According to a report by Marine Life, “there may be as many as 82,000 kinds of chemicals from personal care products that have made their way into the world's oceans.” Sunscreens that contain oxybenzone and octinoxate can bleach, harm, and even kill the coral reefs in our ocean. So much so that these ingredients are banned in Hawaii and Florida to further protect and prevent our coral reefs from damage since they are vital to the ecosystem.

To keep ocean life happy, use a mineral sunscreen (like ours!) that uses physical UVA and UVB filters. Ingredients like zinc oxide and titanium dioxide form an actual physical barrier to shield skin from absorbing any rays (whereas chemical filters absorb UV and turn it into heat that’s released from skin). Since mineral sunscreens sit on top of your skin for protection, they are ideal for sensitive skin types given the ingredients aren't absorbed into the skin itself. That also means mineral SPFs don't need 20-30 minutes of absorption like chemical SPFs–making them effective as soon as they're applied.

The term "reef-safe" or "reef-friendly" is not regulated so double check the active ingredients in your sunscreen to make sure! Zinc oxide and titanium dioxide are the reef-friendly ingredients to look out for that also shield your skin from sun.

Why did we make this decision? Well, because of you! We received so much feedback from our community that they wanted a 100% mineral, reef-safe version of our beloved Prismatic sunscreen. So we made it happen!

To further aid our coral reefs, $1 from the purchase of every Volition Mineral Prismatic Luminizing Shield SPF 35 in 2021 will benefit the Coral Reef Alliance (CORAL), a charitable, non-profit organization based in the San Francisco Bay Area, whose mission is “saving the world’s coral reefs." Scientific research tells us that coral reefs can adapt to the effects of climate change. By combining its community-centered conservation approach and scientific expertise, CORAL creates the conditions that give reefs around the world the best chance to thrive for generations to come.

CORAL is grateful for Volition's commitment to protecting coral reefs through its new reef-safe sunscreen and by raising awareness for this important issue. For more information, visit our friends at coral.org/.

Help save the coral reefs AND your skin from UV damage with the Mineral Prismatic Luminizing Shield SPF 35.