The Wellness Mama Podcast The Environmental Cost of Conventional Sunscreens (And Better Alternatives) With Kevin Gianni and Rachel Pachivas
Apr 22, 2026
Rachel Pachivas, skincare formulator focused on clean, nutritive products and safe packaging. Kevin Gianni, entrepreneur crafting reef-conscious, skin-nourishing sunscreens. They discuss chemical sunscreens harming oceans and wildlife. Hear why non-nano zinc and titanium dioxide matter. Learn about toxic pool byproducts, what 'reef safe' really means, and choices that reduce plastic waste.
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Coral Damage Occurs At Parts Per Billion
- Chemical sunscreen filters like oxybenzone and avobenzone can damage coral even at parts-per-billion levels.
- Kevin Gianni recounts Honomanū Bay testing showing 100 to 28,000 ppb and coral whitening that improved after bans and reduced visitors.
Honomanū Bay Coral Rebounded After Visitor Drop
- Kevin Gianni describes how coral in Honomanū Bay recovered after fewer visitors during COVID and a ban on oxybenzone.
- He references Lisa Bishop's coalition and a coral photo database tracking rebound after 2021 mitigation.
Sunscreen Chemicals Change Marine Reproduction
- Sunscreen chemicals entering waterways alter marine life reproduction and development, including tissue damage and sex changes in fish.
- Rachel Pachivas cites studies showing changed fertility rates, tissue impacts in dolphins, and fish shifting male to female.