Seafood Savvy Guide

Cosmetics

Several cosmetic products, such as sunscreens, anti-aging creams, lotions, hair conditioners, deodorants, makeup products, and face cleansers may include an ingredient called squalene. Squalene is used in these cosmetic products, and many others, to make hair and skin softer. Squalene is an oil in a shark’s liver that is essential for them to remain buoyant while swimming and, unfortunately, many are compromised just for their oil. Keeping sharks present in our oceans is necessary to keep these ecosystems in balance. You can help protect our ocean and the sharks by using products with plant derived squalene. If a product does not specify that the squalene used is plant derived, or vegan, consider choosing a more sustainable option.

Pet Products

Assessing the sustainability of our pet’s food is just as important as doing so for our own. Take a moment to inspect the ingredients in your pet’s food, especially any sourced from seafood, often indicated on the company’s website. You can use that information to gauge sustainability using the search recommendations tool here, the same way you would for human seafood choices.

Exercise caution with products containing ingredients labeled as fish byproducts. Due to the lack of transparency regarding the fish’s origin and species, there is no way to confirm if it is sustainable.

Supplements

If you use supplements, check to see if they contain fish oil. If so, check the company’s website to be sure that the oil used was sustainably sourced.

Sunscreen

Before applying sunscreen, flip the bottle over to check for the ingredients oxybenzone or octinoxate. These chemicals are responsible for the mortality of many corals and coral reefs. Coral reefs are responsible for supporting 25% of life within the ocean and without them, many ocean ecosystems would fail. These chemicals are used in sunscreens with the intent of making the product waterproof on our skin, but thankfully, many sunscreen companies have removed these products. Making the simple switch to a reef safe sunscreen will not only support coral, but also the many animals that rely on coral reefs for survival.