Your Reef Protected Sunscreen Information – 15 Sunscreens That Are Reef Protected

Hawaii is the primary state within the U.S. to ban the sale of sunscreen containing the coral-harming chemical compounds oxybenzone and octinoxate, ushering in a brand new period of reef secure sunscreen.

The brand new legislation went into impact January 1, 2021, prompting guests and residents alike to commerce of their non-reef-safe solar safety.

Why Reef Protected Sunscreen?

Standard sunscreens usually comprise chemical compounds, equivalent to oxybenzone and octinoxate — two components which have been linked to coral bleaching.

When coral bleaches, it loses its shade and turns into susceptible to illness. Bleaching locations coral below important stress and topics it to elevated mortality ranges. In keeping with the Nationwide Park Service, 14,000 tons of sunscreen enter coral reefs yearly.

The now-banned chemical compounds which have been historically present in hottest sunscreen manufacturers, are believed to be one of many contributing elements to the coral reef destruction. These manufacturers embrace Coppertone, Hawaiian Tropic and Banana Boat, to call a couple of. Nonetheless, we’re beginning to see a pattern of those massive manufacturers creating new, much less poisonous sunscreen strains, equivalent to Banana Boat’s Merely Shield, which is made with out oxybenzone and parabens.

Buying and selling in outdated sunscreen for reef secure variations. (Photograph: Cindy Ellen Russel / Honolulu Star-Advertiser)

The right way to Know if Sunscreen is Reef Protected

Choosing the proper sunscreen is necessary, not solely to guard your pores and skin from burns and most cancers, but in addition to protect our oceans and marine life. Deciding on a sunscreen that’s each efficient and reef secure could be overwhelming.

Here’s a test checklist to take alongside when purchasing for sunscreen that may shield each your pores and skin and the reefs, in addition to a listing of solar safety thought of reef secure.

• Keep away from sunscreens containing petrolatum, generally often called mineral oil, which takes years to biodegrade, and are recognized to be dangerous or deadly to aquatic life and waterfowl.
• Keep away from sunscreens with excessive content material of Titanium Dioxide. This mineral doesn’t biodegrade and is discovered to react in heat seawater to type hydrogen peroxide which is dangerous to all sea life.
• Keep away from sunscreens with oxybenzone and octinoxate, the 2 chemical compounds banned in Hawaii and linked to coral bleaching.

15 Reef Protected Sunscreens

The coral reefs at Hanauma Bay present meals, shelter, and breeding grounds for marine life, making the Oahu landmark one in all Hawaii’s high points of interest. (Photograph: Napua Heen / Hawaii.com)

Here’s a checklist of sunscreens thought of to be reef secure. Sunscreens made in Hawaii are marked with an * asterisk.

• *Kokua Solar Care Hawaiian SPF 50 Pure Zinc Sunscreen
• *Mama Kuleana Waterproof SPF 30 Reef-safe Sunscreen
• *Little Arms Hawaii SPF 35+ All-natural and Natural Sunscreen
• Manda Natural SPF 50 Solar Paste
• *Uncooked Love SPF 35 All-natural Mineral Sunscreen
• Thinksport SPF 50 Sunscreen
• All Good SPF 30 Sport Sunscreen Lotion
• Babo Botanicals SPF 30 Clear Zinc Lotion
• Suntegrity Pure Mineral Sunscreen
• Badger SPF 30 Unscented Sunscreen Cream
• Uncooked Parts SPF 30 Licensed Pure Sunscreen
• Stream2Sea SPF 30 Mineral Sunblock
• Loving Naturals Clear Physique SPF 30+ All-natural Sunscreen
• Banana Boat Merely Shield SPF 50+ Sunscreen (spray, not lotion)
• Olita Mineral Sunscreen Lotion SPF 30

Many of those reef secure sunscreens can be found at your favourite retailer.