#HAWAII REEF SAFE SUNSCREEN HOW TO#
#HAWAII REEF SAFE SUNSCREEN SKIN#

Be sure to use micro-sized (or non-nano) mineral sunscreens to avoid nanoparticles, as these smaller particles can be toxic in high concentrations. The size of minerals can also have an impact. If you like to put leave in conditioner on your hair after diving or snorkeling, wait until you are done in the ocean. Moisturizers, face creams, lip balms and even some shampoos offering “SPF protection” probably contain oxybenzone and octinoxate.

#HAWAII REEF SAFE SUNSCREEN SKIN#

Read the ingredients of your skin care collection. In case you were wondering, these chemicals are not healthy for humans either, and are in many other products. If it becomes law, this new ban would go into effect on January 1, 2023. More toxic chemicals are on the chopping block too- Hawaii’s Senate passed a second bill in March 2021 that would add two additional petrochemicals, avobenzone and octocrylene, to the ban. Read LabelsĪnother way to make sure you are getting reef safe sunscreen is to actually check the “active ingredients” label on the back of your sunscreen or personal care product to ensure that reef-harming chemicals oxybenzone and octinoxate are not included. It’s always good to use products that cut back on single use plastic packaging, either by using containers that are reusable, have high recycled content or are made out of biodegradable plant-based materials like cardboard. These are BAD choices with toxic ingredients Here are two handy visual charts to guide you: These are GOOD choices: Look for products already identified as reef safe. Here are three ways to ensure you protecting the reef. Unfortunately the term “reef friendly” is not regulated, so you can’t always trust products with this description. How do I know if a sunscreen is “reef friendly”? As reef ecosystems collapse, already at-risk species may face extinction. They also support organisms at the base of ocean food chains. Coral reefs provide shelter, spawning grounds, and protection from predators. Thousands of marine animals depend on coral reefs for survival, including sea turtles, fish, crabs, shrimp, jellyfish, sea birds, starfish, and more. Sunscreen pollution is especially problematic in popular snorkeling locations, where sunscreen is washing off dozens or possibly hundreds of people each and every day. When you apply sunscreen with these chemicals and then swim or snorkel, sunscreen washes off your body and contaminates the reef ecosystem. Warming seas due to climate change are also a factor in coral bleaching. If conditions don’t improve and the algae doesn’t return, the coral dies. Oxybenzone can also cause coral bleaching, a phenonmenon that happens when beneficial algae vacates a coral, leaving it a white color. Scientific testing shows that oxybenzone and octinoxate may stunt the growth of baby corals. We need to ensure that these critical areas are protected from harmful chemicals. The Hawaiian islands are home to a very special network of deep coral reefs containing the most abundant collection of endemic species found in any region of the world. Helping corals and the marine environment

#HAWAII REEF SAFE SUNSCREEN HOW TO#

We’ll help you figure out how to easily make good choices.īut first, we’d like to share a little more about why reef safe products are important, so you can join our community in protecting the marine environment. Also many stores still carry products with banned ingredients. However, there are a few that are labeled reef friendly that aren’t. The good news is, there are plenty of reef safe sunscreens and we are going to help you identify the best ones and where to get them. Since the law went into effect January of 2021, you might be wondering what this means when you visit Maui and how hard it is to find reef safe sunscreen on island. Hawaiʻi made worldwide news in May of 2018 when it passed the nation’s first law banning the sale of sunscreen products containing oxybenzone and octinoxate, two common sunscreen ingredients that have significant harmful impacts on Hawaii’s marine environment.

Hawaii reef safe sunscreen