While the possible impact of sunscreen on coral reefs around the world has made a number of recent headlines, a team of researchers is now revealing that sunscreen may be affecting other marine life as well.

To protect beachgoers from sunburn, premature aging and melanoma, manufacturers have added ultraviolet (UV) filters to a number of personal care products, namely moisturizers, makeup and sunscreens. Now, researchers are finding that the combination of products, and not just sunscreen alone, might be harming ocean life.

As such, the team, led by Kelvin Sze-Yin Leung, examined the levels of nine common UV filters present in surface waters throughout Shenzhen, China. Of the nine chemicals being investigated, seven appeared in Shenzhen’s public beaches, a harbor, a reservoir and in tap water.

In the lab, the team fed zebrafish brine shrimp that had been exposed to just three of the nine chemicals under investigation. While the adult zebrafish were seemingly unaltered, their offspring demonstrated abnormalities, with differing results depending on the chemical mixtures.

The study is published in the American Chemical Society’s journal Environmental Science & Technology.