Sunscreen ingredients to avoid
Which sunscreen ingredients are banned for harming coral reefs, where each ban applies, and which ones are fine. We cover all 41 filters used in the US, EU and Asia, plus the preservatives and additives some reef laws also restrict.
The ingredients to avoid first
Ordered by how many places ban them and how strong the coral evidence is. The grid shows the 9 places with a sunscreen law in force today, counting named bans and mineral-only rules. Filled means not allowed there.
Oxybenzone
Strong concernThe most regulated sunscreen chemical in the world with some of the strongest coral evidence. Named in 7 enforced laws.
Not allowed in 9 of 9
- Hawaii: not allowed
- Maui County: not allowed
- Hawaiʻi County: not allowed
- U.S. Virgin Islands: not allowed
- Palau: not allowed
- Aruba: not allowed
- Guam: not allowed
- Northern Mariana Islands: not allowed
- Thailand: not allowed
Octinoxate
Strong concernA UVB filter banned alongside oxybenzone almost everywhere, starting with Hawaii’s 2018 law.
Not allowed in 8 of 9
- Hawaii: not allowed
- Maui County: not allowed
- Hawaiʻi County: not allowed
- U.S. Virgin Islands: not allowed
- Palau: not allowed
- Aruba: allowed
- Guam: not allowed
- Northern Mariana Islands: not allowed
- Thailand: not allowed
Octocrylene
Some concernUsed to stabilize avobenzone. Banned by name in the US Virgin Islands, Guam and Palau. It builds up in coral tissue, and it can break down into benzophenone in the bottle over time.
Not allowed in 5 of 9
- Hawaii: allowed
- Maui County: not allowed
- Hawaiʻi County: not allowed
- U.S. Virgin Islands: not allowed
- Palau: not allowed
- Aruba: allowed
- Guam: not allowed
- Northern Mariana Islands: allowed
- Thailand: allowed
4-Methylbenzylidene Camphor (Enzacamene)
Some concernAlso sold as 4-MBC. Not approved in the US and phased out of the EU in 2025, but still found in some sunscreens bought abroad.
Not allowed in 4 of 9
- Hawaii: allowed
- Maui County: not allowed
- Hawaiʻi County: not allowed
- U.S. Virgin Islands: allowed
- Palau: not allowed
- Aruba: allowed
- Guam: allowed
- Northern Mariana Islands: allowed
- Thailand: not allowed
Avobenzone, Homosalate and Octisalate
Limited dataLegal under Hawaii’s statewide law, which is why “oxybenzone-free” formulas rely on them. They still fail mineral-only rules, and the FDA is still waiting for more safety data on all three.
Not allowed in 3 of 9
- Hawaii: allowed
- Maui County: not allowed
- Hawaiʻi County: not allowed
- U.S. Virgin Islands: allowed
- Palau: not allowed
- Aruba: allowed
- Guam: allowed
- Northern Mariana Islands: allowed
- Thailand: allowed
Parabens
methylparaben, ethylparaben, propylparaben, butylparaben, benzylparaben, isobutylparaben, isopropylparaben
Preservatives, so they appear in the inactive list, not the actives. Palau bans the whole family, and Thailand’s marine parks ban butylparaben.
Not allowed in 2 of 9
- Hawaii: allowed
- Maui County: allowed
- Hawaiʻi County: allowed
- U.S. Virgin Islands: allowed
- Palau: not allowed
- Aruba: allowed
- Guam: allowed
- Northern Mariana Islands: allowed
- Thailand: not allowed
Phenoxyethanol
Limited dataThe usual paraben replacement. Palau bans it, and it is the most common reason a zinc oxide sunscreen fails there.
Not allowed in 1 of 9
- Hawaii: allowed
- Maui County: allowed
- Hawaiʻi County: allowed
- U.S. Virgin Islands: allowed
- Palau: not allowed
- Aruba: allowed
- Guam: allowed
- Northern Mariana Islands: allowed
- Thailand: allowed
Triclosan and Triclocarban
Antimicrobials that are rare in sunscreen today but named in Palau’s list of chemicals toxic to reefs.
Not allowed in 1 of 9
- Hawaii: allowed
- Maui County: allowed
- Hawaiʻi County: allowed
- U.S. Virgin Islands: allowed
- Palau: not allowed
- Aruba: allowed
- Guam: allowed
- Northern Mariana Islands: allowed
- Thailand: allowed
Safe for reefs and allowed everywhere: zinc oxide and titanium dioxide, as long as the inactive list has no parabens or phenoxyethanol. Not sure what’s in yours? Paste the label into the checker.
What “avoid” means here
Lists of sunscreen ingredients to avoid mix three different questions: what harms coral, what’s legal where you are going, and what’s safe on your skin. We answer the first two directly, report what regulators say about the third, and cite our sources.
Reef evidence. Each ingredient gets one of four ratings from the published research. Strong concern means lab studies show harm to coral, and levels measured at some busy beaches have exceeded those amounts. Limited data means there’s little research, which isn’t the same as proof of safety. Each ingredient page cites the studies.
Laws. Reef laws take one of two forms. Named-ingredient bans, like Hawaii’s statewide law, prohibit specific chemicals. Mineral-only rules, on Maui, the Big Island and in Palau, allow no active ingredient except zinc oxide and titanium dioxide, so every chemical filter fails there, including ones no law names. The location pages quote each law.
Regulators. In 2019 the FDA proposed only zinc oxide and titanium dioxide as safe and effective, and asked for more data on 12 chemical filters. The EU has since lowered limits for oxybenzone and homosalate and phased out 4-MBC. Neither regulator has concluded that the other chemical filters are unsafe to use. Both US and EU status are listed on each ingredient page.
Labels also use different names for the same chemical. Oxybenzone may appear as benzophenone-3, octinoxate as ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate. The tables below list the other names our checker recognizes.
Mineral sunscreen ingredients
| Ingredient | Also on labels as | Reef research | Banned in | Products |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zinc Oxide | zinc oxide (non-nano), non-nano zinc oxide | Low concern | — | 419 |
| Titanium Dioxide | titanium dioxide (non-nano), non-nano titanium dioxide | Low concern | — | 168 |
Chemical sunscreen ingredients
| Ingredient | Also on labels as | Reef research | Banned in | Products |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oxybenzone | benzophenone-3, benzophenone 3 | Strong concern | Hawaii, U.S. Virgin Islands, Palau, Aruba, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Thailand | 47 |
| Octinoxate | ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate, octyl methoxycinnamate | Strong concern | Hawaii, U.S. Virgin Islands, Palau, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Thailand | 35 |
| Octocrylene | 2-ethylhexyl 2-cyano-3,3-diphenylacrylate, octocrilene | Some concern | U.S. Virgin Islands, Palau, Guam | 555 |
| Avobenzone | butyl methoxydibenzoylmethane, parsol 1789 | Limited data | Palau | 549 |
| Homosalate | homomenthyl salicylate, 3,3,5-trimethylcyclohexyl salicylate | Limited data | Palau | 497 |
| Octisalate | ethylhexyl salicylate, octyl salicylate | Limited data | Palau | 537 |
| 4-Methylbenzylidene Camphor (Enzacamene) | enzacamene, 4-mbc | Some concern | Palau, Thailand | 0 |
| Ensulizole | phenylbenzimidazole sulfonic acid, 2-phenylbenzimidazole-5-sulfonic acid | Limited data | Palau | 0 |
| Ecamsule (Mexoryl SX) | terephthalylidene dicamphor sulfonic acid, mexoryl sx | Limited data | Palau | 0 |
| Meradimate | menthyl anthranilate | Limited data | Palau | 1 |
| Padimate O | padimate-o, ethylhexyl dimethyl paba | Limited data | Palau | 0 |
| Sulisobenzone | benzophenone-4, benzophenone 4 | Limited data | Palau | 0 |
| Dioxybenzone | benzophenone-8, benzophenone 8 | Limited data | Palau | 0 |
| Cinoxate | Limited data | Palau | 0 | |
| Trolamine Salicylate | triethanolamine salicylate | Limited data | Palau | 0 |
| PABA (Aminobenzoic Acid) | para-aminobenzoic acid, paba | Limited data | Palau | 0 |
| Bemotrizinol (Tinosorb S) | bis-ethylhexyloxyphenol methoxyphenyl triazine, tinosorb s | Limited data | Palau | 2 |
| Bisoctrizole (Tinosorb M) | methylene bis-benzotriazolyl tetramethylbutylphenol, tinosorb m | Limited data | Palau | 0 |
| Drometrizole Trisiloxane (Mexoryl XL) | mexoryl xl | Limited data | Palau | 0 |
| Ethylhexyl Triazone (Uvinul T 150) | octyl triazone, uvinul t 150 | Limited data | Palau | 0 |
| Iscotrizinol (Uvasorb HEB) | diethylhexyl butamido triazone, uvasorb heb | Limited data | Palau | 0 |
| DHHB (Uvinul A Plus) | uvinul a plus, dhhb | Limited data | Palau | 0 |
| Polysilicone-15 (Parsol SLX) | polysilicone 15, parsol slx | Limited data | Palau | 1 |
| Amiloxate (IMC) | isoamyl p-methoxycinnamate, isoamyl methoxycinnamate | Limited data | Palau | 0 |
| Tris-Biphenyl Triazine (Tinosorb A2B) | tris biphenyl triazine, tinosorb a2b | Limited data | Palau | 0 |
| Bisdisulizole Disodium (Neo Heliopan AP) | disodium phenyl dibenzimidazole tetrasulfonate, neo heliopan ap | Limited data | Palau | 0 |
Preservatives
| Ingredient | Also on labels as | Reef research | Banned in | Products |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Triclosan | Some concern | Palau | 0 | |
| Triclocarban | trichlorocarbanilide | Limited data | Palau | 0 |
| Methylparaben | methyl paraben, methyl 4-hydroxybenzoate | Limited data | Palau | 13 |
| Ethylparaben | ethyl paraben | Limited data | Palau | 3 |
| Propylparaben | propyl paraben | Limited data | Palau | 13 |
| Butylparaben | butyl paraben | Some concern | Palau, Thailand | 1 |
| Benzylparaben | benzyl paraben | Limited data | Palau | 0 |
| Phenoxyethanol | 2-phenoxyethanol | Limited data | Palau | 317 |
| Isobutylparaben | isobutyl paraben | Limited data | Palau | 1 |
| Isopropylparaben | isopropyl paraben | Limited data | Palau | 0 |
Skin protectants
| Ingredient | Also on labels as | Reef research | Banned in | Products |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Skin protectant actives (petrolatum, dimethicone, etc.) | white petrolatum, dimethicone | Limited data | — | 0 |
Other additives
| Ingredient | Also on labels as | Reef research | Banned in | Products |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Microplastics (plastic microbeads) | polypropylene, nylon-12 | Some concern | — | 56 |
| Nanoparticles (nano-sized minerals) | Limited data | — | 0 |
“Banned in” lists places whose law names the ingredient. Mineral-only locations (Maui County, Hawaii County, Palau) also exclude every chemical UV filter as an active.
Common questions
What sunscreen ingredients should I avoid?
For reefs and reef laws, avoid oxybenzone and octinoxate first, then octocrylene and 4-MBC (enzacamene). If you are going somewhere with a mineral-only rule (Maui County, Hawaiʻi County and Palau), avoid every chemical filter, including avobenzone, homosalate and octisalate. For Palau, also check the inactive list for parabens, phenoxyethanol and triclosan.
What are the safest sunscreen ingredients?
Zinc oxide and titanium dioxide. They are the only 2 filters the FDA proposed as Generally Recognized As Safe and Effective (GRASE) in 2019, the only actives allowed under mineral-only laws, and the filters with the least evidence of harm to coral.
Which chemical sunscreen ingredients are harmful?
In 2019 the FDA proposed, and in September 2026 finalized, removing two chemical filters from the sunscreen monograph: Trolamine Salicylate and PABA (Aminobenzoic Acid). The FDA knows of no US sunscreen that contains either. For 12 others, including oxybenzone, avobenzone, octocrylene and homosalate, it asked manufacturers for more safety data. That is a request for evidence, not a finding of harm, and the FDA still advises using sunscreen. The coral evidence is stronger for some, especially oxybenzone and octinoxate, and that is what most reef laws are based on.
Is avobenzone safe?
The FDA puts avobenzone in its “insufficient data” group and caps it at 3% in the US. The EU allows up to 5%. The coral evidence is limited. It is legal under Hawaii’s statewide law, but not allowed in Maui County, Hawaiʻi County and Palau, because those places allow only mineral actives or ban it by name.
Do I need to check the inactive ingredients?
Only for a few places. Most reef laws restrict active ingredients, the UV filters listed in the Drug Facts box. Palau also bans preservatives such as parabens and phenoxyethanol, which appear in the inactive list, and Thailand’s marine parks ban butylparaben.