DEEP DIVE INTO
Don’t think that you should easily trust our claims? We totally agree! Our commitment goes beyond sustainability — we also care about providing the best quality products and empowering our consumers to make informed purchasing decisions. That’s why you deserve to know what exactly you’re putting on your skin and what you’re doing for the ocean whenever you choose MAGWAI.
This article is loaded with lots of science, but don’t be intimidated by the long paragraphs! We’ve taken our time to translate all of it to make it easy for you to understand. Read about all the scientific tests our sunscreen has undergone and the certifications we’ve obtained from local and international organizations.
Did you know: there’s no official body that legally certifies a sunscreen as “reef-safe.” That means any brand can put the “reef-safe label” on their sunscreen without testing it. Most brands just avoid oxybenzone and octinoxate, when many other ingredients can cause coral bleaching.
So how do we make sure MAGWAI sunscreen is actually safe for coral reefs?
We follow the standards set by Palau, a Pacific island nation with the strictest sunscreen regulations in the world.
Like the Philippines, Palau has one of the world’s richest coral reef ecosystems, with over 400 species of hard corals and more than 1,300 species of reef fish (Shuster, 2026). Since millions of tourists visit Palau’s famous dive and snorkeling sites, the government recognized that chemicals from conventional sunscreens could accumulate in reef areas. In response, Palau passed the Responsible Tourism Education Act of 2018 — the first law in the world to ban the import, manufacture, sale, and personal use of sunscreens with reef-toxic ingredients (Republic of Palau, 2018).
While most countries ban only 2-4 chemical UV filters (commonly oxybenzone and octinoxate), Palau prohibits a much broader range including preservatives and antimicrobials. It enforces the ban at the national border, making it stricter than Hawaii, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Thailand, Aruba, or Bonaire.
At MAGWAI, we hold ourselves to that same standard, down to every ingredient in our formula. So “reef-safe” isn’t just a claim. It’s something we can actually verify.
Read Palau’s full list of banned sunscreen ingredients here.
Nano is a particle size less than 100 nanometers. It is so small that it can penetrate coral membranes and human skin (Fivenson et al., 2021). For a sunscreen to be reef-safe, the size of particles within the formulation must be bigger than a nanoparticle, hence, non-nano.
Did you know that many chemical sunscreens are nano-sized? This is how they are able to achieve a lightweight consistency that seeps into the skin. While this isn’t bad or dangerous on its own, there are some interesting studies about the possible risks associated with this.
Yes, it is true. Common chemical sunscreen ingredients like oxybenzone, avobenzone, octocrylene, homosalate—enter your bloodstream within hours, and some stay there for weeks (Matta et al., 2019).
As a result, some studies also suggest that these ingredients disrupt hormones, including those related to thyroid function. Ozybenzone (BP3), for example, can affect the hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid axis, which is responsible for our metabolism and stress levels (Wnuk et al., 2021).
There was another study performed on different types of animals, including marine creatures, but not humans. It has observed chemical UV filters causing minor changes in testosterone, decreased sperm counts, and delayed puberty, among other effects (Wang et al., 2016).
The harmful effect this chemical absorption can have on marine life is well-studied, but more research is needed to confirm whether or not this is dangerous for humans. But if you have sensitive skin, or you’re a pregnant mom, mineral sunscreens with non-nano zinc oxide or titanium dioxide are often a safer bet. However, we always recommend consulting with your dermatologist or OB-GYN.
Based on studies, it is chemical or organic UV filters that are much more likely to cause allergic contact dermatitis or photodermatitis (Mahajan et al., 2024). Most commonly linked to these skin reactions is oxybenzone (benzophenone-3), alongside other chemical UV filters like avobenzone, cinoxate, and octocrylene (Fivenson & Norton, 2025).
Meanwhile, our Sheer Mineral Sunscreen only uses zinc oxide, an inorganic, mineral, or physical UV filter.
This remains on the outer layers of the skin and has very limited skin penetration. This is what makes them less likely to cause sensitivities or irritation (Cascade Eye & Skin Centers, 2025).
(By the way, there are only 2 inorganic UV filters, zinc oxide and titanium dioxide.)
If every sunscreen you’ve tried makes your face itchy or stings your eyes, consider using a pure mineral sunscreen like MAGWAI!
Have you ever tried a new skincare product that broke you out, irritated your skin, or caused an allergic reaction? It would be terrible that our sunscreen protects oceans, but is unpleasant to wear. Aside from reef safety, we also had additional tests to ensure its safety for your skin.
by SolarTest Asia, Bangkok, Thailand
Our skin is affected by two types of UV rays from the sun: UVA and UVB. When looking at a sunscreen’s packaging, the labels “SPF” and “PA+” might be familiar to you. SPF measures a sunscreen’s protection against UVB rays, while PA+ ratings indicate protection against UVA rays. Because these two spectrums can both do their damage on our skin, it is standard to test for both of them to ensure maximum sun protection.
Based on ISO 24442 (2022), UVA protection factor is tested by using a machine that projects UVA electromagnetic radiation to cause tanning on the skin (Eurofins, 2017a). By measuring how much radiation is required to tan both skin areas with and without sunscreen protection, the PA+ rating is calculated.
The SPF test, or ISO 24444 (2019), is very similar to the UVA test. This time, the skin is exposed to all UV wavelengths to simulate natural sunlight (Eurofins, 2017b).
The MAGWAI Sunscreen is rated at SPF50+ and PA++++, which means that you are getting more than enough UVB protection and the highest UVA protection possible!
Ever heard of the saying that light skin burns, while darker skin tans? While it’s still good for all skin tones to wear sunscreen every day, Filipino skin doesn’t need overly high SPF to be adequately sun-protected. Here’s why SPF 50 is all you need:
Our skin tones are classified by the Fitzpatrick Classification System (Ward et al., 2017). Filipinos typically fall under skin types III to V, which puts them at lower risk of sunburn.
Dermatologists also tend to recommend sunscreens with lower SPF to their darker-skinned patients. Most of them who had white or fair skin were recommended sunscreens at around SPF 45, while patients with skin of color were advised to use sunscreens valued at around SPF 30 (Song et al., 2021).
More importantly, a higher SPF doesn’t always guarantee a more effective sunscreen. According to EWG (n.d.):
The difference between SPF 30 and SPF 50 isn’t much. We naturally like having the best possible protection, which is why seek out sunscreens that start at SPF 50. But it is a myth that SPF 50, for example, offers twice as much protection as SPF 25. In reality, SPF 50 — when applied correctly — blocks 98% of UVB rays, while SPF 100 would block 99% (EWG, n.d.). A sunscreen with an SPF of anywhere between 30 and 50 is already enough protection, especially for morenas who have tanner skin.
Higher SPF can inadvertently make you even more exposed to sunscreen. We look for sunscreens with the highest SPF because it assures us that we are given the best protection. Many people, though, might be dragged into a false sense of security, and believe that since the SPF value of their sunscreen is high, then they don’t need to apply as much product as they would with an SPF-15 sunscreen. This is certainly not true — higher SPFs will not work better unless we also apply them generously.
Higher SPF might have more health risks. To achieve a very high SPF, manufacturers would need much higher concentrations of active ingredients. According to (EWG, n.d.), some ingredients will become too strong that they penetrate below the skin. This is dangerous because some of these ingredients can potentially cause tissue damage, hormone disruption, and/or allergic reactions.
The next time you shop for a new sunscreen, just remember that SPF 30, let alone SPF 50, is more than enough to protect you from sun damage. And most importantly — don’t only just look for the highest SPF — make sure that it provides you with equal broad spectrum protection against both UVA and UVB rays.
by Dra. Nenita Alberto, Manila, Philippines
This was done according to the standard non-comedogenic test, where an examiner counts the number of comedones and blackheads on the forehead, cheeks, and chin before and after one month of sunscreen usage (Evalulab, n.d.). All of this is done under the supervision of a certified dermatologist. If these blemishes don’t worsen afterward, then the sunscreen will not clog your pores.
Our formulation passed the test as non-comedogenic. Throughout the process, only 1 out of 30 test subjects experienced breakouts, which, according to Dra. Alberto, may have also been affected by hormones, as the subject was on her period at the time.
For both tests, the sunscreen was repeat-insult patch tested on human skin. This means that a sample of the formulation was applied on a specific patch of skin on the back, which is then sealed by a semi-occlusive patch. The sunscreen is patch-tested this way to encourage maximum absorption to cause a reaction (QV Skincare, 2023). This way, if the skin experiences no reaction, then we are assured that the formulation is safe when people apply the product on themselves normally.
The MAGWAI sunscreen passed this test as it was found that none of the test subjects experienced any reaction.
The consumer usage test evaluates the level of white cast that the sunscreen produces. A select group of people were asked to use the old MAGWAI Reef-Safe Sunscreen and the new Sheer Mineral Sunscreen for 1 week, after which they rated how severe the white cast level was for each.
Based on their responses, the users clearly prefer the reformulated Sheer Mineral Sunscreen.
Along with our goal of empowering consumer awareness is a commitment to transparency. Here is a compiled summary of certifications that the Sheer Mineral Sunscreen has acquired.
Cascade Eye & Skin Centers. (2025, July 21). Mineral sunscreen: Why it’s recommended for sensitive skin. https://cascadeeyeskin.com/blog/mineral-sunscreen-why-its-recommended-for-sensitive-skin/
Eurofins. (2017a). ISO 24442 In vivo UVAPF testing. https://cdnmedia.eurofins.com/apac/media/601372/iso-24442-in-vivo-uvapf.pdf
Eurofins. (2017b). SPF ISO 24444 Protocol Testing. https://cdnmedia.eurofins.com/apac/media/601367/spf-iso-protocol.pdf
Evalulab. (n.d.). Non-comedogenic test. https://www.evalulab.com/en/safety-studies/non-comedogenic/
EWG. (2020). 5 Sunscreen myths debunked. https://www.ewg.org/news-insights/news/5-sunscreen-myths-debunked
EWG (n.d.). The trouble with SPF. https://www.ewg.org/sunscreen/report/whats-wrong-with-high-spf/
Fivenson, D., Sabzevari, N., Qiblawi, S., Blitz, J., Norton, B. B., & Norton, S. A. (2021). Sunscreens: UV filters to protect us: Part 2-Increasing awareness of UV filters and their potential toxicities to us and our environment. International Journal of Women’s Dermatology. 7(1), 45-69. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352647520301362#s0040
International Organization for Standardization. (2019). Cosmetics — Sun protection test methods — In vivo determination of the sun protection factor (SPF). (ISO Standard No. 24444). https://www.iso.org/obp/ui/#iso:std:iso:24444:ed-2:v1:en
International Organization for Standardization. (2022). Cosmetics — Sun protection test methods — In vivo determination of sunscreen UVA protection. (ISO Standard No. 24442). https://www.iso.org/obp/ui/en/#iso:std:iso:24442:ed-2:v1:en
Mahajan, V. K., Sharma, N., Sharma, V., Verma, R., Chandel, M., & Singh, R. (2024). Topical Sunscreens: A Narrative Review for Contact Sensitivity, Potential Allergens, Clinical Evaluation, and Management for their Optimal Use in Clinical Practice. Indian dermatology online journal, 15(6), 920–929. https://doi.org/10.4103/idoj.idoj_111_24
Matta, M. K., Zusterzeel, R., Pilli, N. R., Patel, V., Volpe, D. A., Florian, J., Oh, L., Bashaw, E., Zineh, I., Sanabria, C., Kemp, S., Godfrey, A., Adah, S., Coelho, S., Wang, J., Furlong, L., Ganley, C., Michele, T., & Strauss, D. G. (2019). Effect of Sunscreen Application Under Maximal Use Conditions on Plasma Concentration of Sunscreen Active Ingredients: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA. 321(21), 2082–2091. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2733085
QV Skincare. (2023). What does dermatologically tested & hypoallergenic mean? https://www.qvskincare.com.au/articles/ingredient-spotlight/dermatologically-tested-and-hypoallergenic.html#:~:text=Dermatologically%20tested%20%7C%20Hypoallergenic%20%7C%20Patch%20testing,harm%20or%20irritate%20our%20skin
Republic of Palau. (2018). Responsible Tourism Education Act of 2018 (RPPL No. 10-30). https://www.palaugov.pw/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/RPPL-No.-10-30-re.-The-Responsible-Tourism-Education-Act-of-2018.pdf
Shuster, D.R., Foster, S. (2026, September 7). Palau. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/place/Palau
Song, H. et al. (2021). Sunscreen recommendations for patients with skin of color in the popular press and in the dermatology clinic. International Journal of Women’s Dermatology, 7(2), 165–170. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8072489/
Wang, J., Pan, L., Wu, S., Lu, L., Xu, Y., Zhu, Y., Guo, M., & Zhuang, S. (2016). Recent Advances on Endocrine Disrupting Effects of UV Filters. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 13(8), 782. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4997468/
Ward, W. H. et al. (2017). Fitzpatrick classification of skin types I through VI. Cutaneous Melanoma: Etiology and Therapy [Internet]. Brisbane (AU): Codon Publications. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK481857/table/chapter6.t1/
Wnuk, W., Michalska, K., Krupa, A., & Pawlak, K. (2021). Benzophenone-3, a chemical UV-filter in cosmetics: is it really safe for children and pregnant women? Postepy Dermatol Alergol. 39(1), 26-33. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35369611/
A big thanks to the Department of Science and Technology’s Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology Research and Development for their generous support and funding towards the reformulation of MAGWAI’s Sheer Mineral Sunscreen.