What reef-safe means
What reef-safe sunscreen actually means
On a US bottle, reef-safe is marketing. The laws name chemicals. Hawaii statewide, Maui, the Big Island, Palau, and the US Virgin Islands do not share one list. We score a bottle against those lists. We do not invent snorkeling tests.
Why the rules exist
Work on oxybenzone and octinoxate is what put those two chemicals in Hawaii Act 104. Maui and the Big Island went further and cut the rest of the chemical filters. Palau banned ten. The lists do not match because each place drew its own line.
The places
A pass on Hawaii Act 104 is the easy bar: no oxybenzone, no octinoxate. Maui and the Big Island require mineral UV filters. Palau can fail a zinc lotion on phenoxyethanol. HEL is not a law. It is the stricter list people often mean by reef-safe.
| Place | What fails | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Hawaii statewide (Act 104) | Sale of oxybenzone or octinoxate sunscreens banned without a prescription, from 1 Jan 2021. Other chemical filters still legal statewide. | SB2571 / Act 104 (2018), LegiScan |
| Maui County (Ordinance 5306) | Only mineral sunscreens (zinc oxide and/or titanium dioxide as UV filters) may be sold, distributed, or used without a prescription, from 1 Oct 2022. | Maui County, Mineral Only Sunscreen |
| Hawaiʻi County (Bill 167 / Ord. 22-81) | Non-mineral sunscreen is any formula whose active is not titanium dioxide or zinc oxide. Sale and distribution banned without a prescription, from 1 Dec 2022. | Hawaiʻi County Bill 167 text via Kona-Kohala Chamber |
| U.S. Virgin Islands | Oxybenzone, octinoxate, and octocrylene banned in sunscreen. | USVI Act 8604 (2020). Confirm on current USVI code before travel |
| Palau | Ten-ingredient ban including oxybenzone, octinoxate, octocrylene, 4-MBC, triclosan, four parabens, and phenoxyethanol. A zinc lotion can still fail Palau on the preservative. | Palau Responsible Tourism Education Act of 2018 |
| Strict / HEL-style | Haereticus Environmental Laboratory list: oxybenzone, octinoxate, octocrylene, homosalate, 4-MBC, PABA, parabens, triclosan, nano zinc/titanium, microplastics. Not a law. The stricter screen people mean when they say reef-safe. | HEL reef-safe criteria (lab list, not a statute) |
The trap in “Hawaii compliant”
Sun Bum Original SPF 30 lotion, checked on the brand site on 16 Aug 2026, lists avobenzone, homosalate, octisalate, and octocrylene. It wears an Act 104 badge. It is illegal to sell as a non-prescription sunscreen on Maui. Neutrogena Ultra Sheer SPF 55 is the same pattern: oxybenzone-free, still a chemical formula.
Palau is a second trap. Sun Bum Mineral SPF 30 is zinc-only and still lists phenoxyethanol. Palau banned that preservative. Thrive BodyShield 50 does not list it. That is why two zinc lotions can split.
What we will not do
We will not write that we snorkeled in a bottle we have not used. The method is spec-check: manufacturer Drug Facts, DailyMed when the brand page is incomplete, date stamp, source URL. Pack shots on brand pages are manufacturer or DailyMed images with a credit, not photos we took. Until we photograph a physical tube, the date on each product is the day we read the label.
Look up a bottle on the checker, browse brands we have checked, or pack for Hawaii. The method page is the longer version of this section.
FAQ
What is reef-safe sunscreen?
Reef-safe is not a legal term on US bottles. It is a marketing phrase. The laws name chemicals. Hawaii statewide, Maui, the Big Island, Palau, and the US Virgin Islands each ban a different list, so a bottle can say reef-safe and still fail Maui.
What makes a sunscreen reef-safe?
The Active ingredients line, not the claim on the front. Maui and the Big Island require zinc oxide and/or titanium dioxide as the UV filters. Hawaii Act 104 only bans oxybenzone and octinoxate, so a chemical lotion can still sell on Oahu. Palau also bans phenoxyethanol, which is why some zinc lotions fail there.
How do you tell if a sunscreen is reef-safe?
Flip the tube and read Active ingredients. Ignore reef-safe on the front. Avobenzone, homosalate, octisalate, octocrylene, oxybenzone, or octinoxate fail Maui. Phenoxyethanol in the inactives fails Palau. Paste that panel into the checker on this site if you do not want to memorize the lists.
Is mineral sunscreen reef-safe?
Not always. Mineral means zinc oxide and/or titanium dioxide as the UV filters, which clears Maui. Palau can still fail a zinc lotion on phenoxyethanol. HEL, which is a lab list and not a law, fails nano zinc when the label says nano. If the label is silent on nano, we mark that screen mixed.
Is it illegal to use non-reef-safe sunscreen in Hawaii?
It depends on the island. Statewide Act 104 bans the sale of oxybenzone or octinoxate sunscreens without a prescription. It does not ban every chemical filter. Maui and the Big Island ban sale, distribution, and use of non-mineral sunscreen without a prescription. A Hawaii-compliant badge often means Act 104 only. Pack for the county.
Which sunscreens are actually reef-safe?
There is no single reef-safe list. For Maui, start with mineral UV filters, then check Palau if you are going farther. Thrive BodyShield 50, Stream2Sea, Thinksport SPF 50+, Raw Elements Travel SPF 30, and Blue Lizard Sensitive Mineral and Sport Mineral clear Maui and Palau. Sun Bum Original and Supergoop Unseen do not. Open the Labels chart for the dated table.