Two ingredients to avoid in sunscreens are oxybenzone and octinoxate. These ingredients recently were banned from Hawaii and Key West because they cause coral bleaching and are not great for your skin. Other sunscreen chemicals that may or may not be bad for your skin and the environment include avobenzone, octisalate, octocrylene, and homosalate. Research is not currently conclusive about these chemicals, but many environmental groups advocate not using them in the oceans to risk coral bleaching. Some of these chemicals also have been known to cause hormone disruption through skin absorption.
The most natural sunscreens use minerals instead of chemicals to provide sun protection. The most popular mineral sunscreens use zinc oxide, which many people recognize from the white residue often left after applying. However, many brands have found ways to reduce the ghost-like pallor of zinc, making zinc sunscreens more attractive to many customers.