Many sunscreens contain chemicals that can harm corals. That prompted three seniors from Waipahu High School in Hawaii—Dean Cabato, Riki Nishizawa, and Ku’ualoha Andrade—to make a new sunscreen that is safe for reefs. Their eco-friendly alternative contains Naupaka Kahakai, a native Hawaiian plant. The sunscreen also contains the sun-blocking chemical zinc oxide (ZnO), which does not harm reefs.
The teens tested the effectiveness of their homemade sunscreen by applying it to a special card. If the concoction failed to block the sun’s damaging ultraviolet (UV) rays, the card would change color. The experiment showed that their homemade sunscreen offered the same level of sun protection as a commercial sunscreen containing ingredients toxic to corals.
The project earned the students a place in the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair. “Our next step is to figure out a way to make our product available for people to purchase,” says Ku’ualoha.