Thailand bans harmful sunscreen

This item appears on page 29 of the October 2021 issue.

Sunscreen containing any of four ingredients — oxybenzone, octinoxate, 4-methylbenzylidene camphor or butylparaben — has been banned in Thailand. Each of those ingredients has been shown to kill coral larvae.

One of Thailand’s most famous beaches, at Maya Bay, has been closed to swimmers since 2018 to allow the coral reef there to regenerate from damage caused by human activities, including vandalism.