A recent study found that coral exposed to chemical sunscreens died after four days. The four ingredients the tested sunscreens had in common were paraben, cinnamate, benzophenone, and a camphor derivative. The conditions used for the test did not duplicate natural reef conditions, but the study author explained that even a small dose of sunscreen caused viruses in the corol’s symbiotic algae to replicate rapidly, eventually killing off the algae and coral.