Coral Ecotoxicology Guides
Plain-language guides to how coral toxicity is tested, what the science on sunscreen ingredients shows, and what the regulations require. Each guide cites dated, verifiable sources and states the limits of the evidence.
Coral testing and the science
What is reef-safe certification?
There is no legal reef-safe certification. What the Hawaii, US Virgin Islands and Palau laws actually ban, how label schemes differ from coral testing, and what a defensible claim needs.
Coral toxicity testing methods
Gametes, larvae, adult fragments and cells; the endpoints measured; design choices that change the result; and where standardisation stands.
How UV filters affect corals
What peer-reviewed studies show about oxybenzone, octocrylene, zinc oxide and titanium dioxide, and how laboratory doses compare with reef water.
Multi-species coral testing
Why coral species respond differently to the same chemical, how species sensitivity distributions work, and how panel breadth should match a claim.
The ReefTox methodology
Cultivated coral, the cosmetics pre-evaluation, 96-hour acute and 3-month chronic designs, endpoints, quality controls and reporting.
Cosmetics claims and regulation
Reef-safe testing for cosmetics
What testing a finished formulation on coral actually requires, and the claims it supports.
Cosmetics environmental compliance
Coral ecotox data in a claim file, and the FTC Green Guides substantiation standard.
EU cosmetics environmental testing
Current EU requirements and building an environmental safety dossier.