Inorganic UV filter-based sunscreens labelled as eco-friendly threaten sea urchin populations

Although the negative effects of inorganic UV filters have been documented on several marine organisms, sunscreen products containing such filters are available in the market and proposed as eco-friendly substitutes for harmful, and already banned, organic UV filters (e.g. octinoxate and oxybenzone). In the present study, we investigated the effects of four sunscreen products, labelled by cosmetic companies as "eco-friendly", on the early developmental stages of the sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus, a keystone species occurring in vulnerable coastal habitats. Among sunscreens tested, those containing ZnO and TiO