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Important Information Regarding Sunscreen & Your Vinyl Liner

We all understand the dangers of the sun. It’s no secret that prolonged exposure to UV rays leads to sunburn and increases the risk of skin cancer. It’s also common knowledge that protecting your family and yourself with sunscreen is especially important. But did you know that some sunscreens contain chemical ingredients that may have adverse effects on your pool liner?

In testing several different sunscreens were applied to directly to vinyl pool liner samples and placed in a 110° room up to 24 hours. The results showed that several of the sunscreens significantly damaged the print on the liner samples. Others had minor damage. The last group had no effect on the liner material. Of the sunscreens tested, the ones with more chemical ingredients, especially the compounds Phenoxyethanol (aka: Ehtylene Glycol, Monophenyl Ether, Glycol Ether or Phenoxytolarosol) and Octocrylene, were more likely to damage the print on the liner. We recommend checking your sunscreen to avoid these chemicals, if possible.

Below are some pointers for using sunscreen with your vinyl pool liner:

  • American Academy of Dermatology recommends using sunscreen with SPF 30 or higher and reapply every 2 hours.
  • Choose a mineral vs a chemical sunscreen
  • Wipe the waterline of the liner after heavy use to prevent build-up of sunscreen and body oils.
  • Enzyme treatments can help break down the components in sunscreen so that it can be removed by the filtration system.
  • Proper filtration will remove many of the harmful chemicals, especial
    ly when combined with enzyme treatments.
  • The chemicals that are most damaging are Phenoxyethanol and Octocrylene; try your best to stay away from these two!

For more information regarding sunscreen ingredients and how they affect you, your liner, and our earth check out these links below:

https://www.vitacost.com/blog/5-sunscreen-ingredients-to-avoid/

https://allgoodproducts.com/why-is-reef-safe-sunscreen-important/

https://allgoodproducts.com/what-is-oxybenzone/

https://www.mustelausa.com/blogs/mustela-mag/mineral-vs-chemical-sunscreen-know-the-difference?g_network=g&g_adid=514078324007&g_keyword=&g_adtype=search&g_adgroupid=118121621702&g_keywordid=dsa-58221685613&g_campaign=Superbolt_Search_EN_Dynamic_Unbranded&g_acctid=441-259-9806&g_campaignid=12737219242&gclid=CjwKCAjwi9-HBhACEiwAPzUhHHznLzefchQWQN_AZI5zwHiHEd69WVRV7zpEvaaepFxcuSoa23PEnRoCIdsQAvD_BwE

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