Mineral (sometimes called physical) and chemical sunscreens do an equally effective job of protecting your skin when properly applied (and proper application means frequent reapplication). So, in terms of preventing sun damage, mineral sunscreens aren’t better (or worse) than “normal” sunscreens. But if by better you mean better for the environment, then the answer is a resounding “yes.”  Bouchet says that corals are very sensitive and it doesn’t take much to negatively impact them. “Corals are found in less than 1% of the oceans. We are living in a period called 'the Anthropocene,' in which most of the ecosystems on Earth are impacted by human activity—and the coral reef is one of them.” And coral bleaching, which is partially caused by the chemicals in non-reef-safe sunscreen, is a major contributor to reef decline. “Bleaching means corals are expelling the algae living in their tissue,” says Bouchet. “And without those symbionts, corals have a limited chance of survival. For example, in the Maldives, mortality has been recorded after a few weeks of exposure [to harmful chemicals].” Of course, chemicals in sunscreen aren’t the only threat to reef health—Bouchart points to the rise in global temperatures and the damage from producing and discarding plastics—but that’s all the more reason to wear reef-safe sunscreen options. Anyone who enjoys the beach, ocean, or marine world should make the small effort to use reef-safe sunscreens as the ocean already has enough health challenges without adding more harmful chemicals to the mix.