Reef safe, reef friendly, organic, mineral based, chemical free…there are a lot of buzzwords floating around when it comes to sunscreen.

In January 2021, the state of Hawaii officially banned the sale of sunscreens containing chemicals harmful to coral reefs which means that you cannot buy sunscreens containing oxybenzone or octinoxate in Hawaii. Which means most of the cheap, clear spray sunscreens you get at the grocery store at home.

Reef Safe Sunscreen in Hawaii

In October 2022, Maui County (Maui, Lanai & Molokai) banned the sale, distribution and use of non-mineral sunscreens. That means the only kind of sunscreen you can buy on Maui (and technically the only kind you’re supposed to use) is the white zinc based kind.

The general Hawaii ban (that covers ALL islands) includes two ingredients/chemicals, oxybenzone and octinoxate, which help filter UV rays, but have also been found to cause bleaching, deformities, DNA damage, and death in coral when deposited in bodies of water.

One study has estimated that as much as 412 pounds of sunscreen is deposited daily at Hanauma Bay on Oahu (one of the most popular snorkeling spots in Hawaii). Yikes!

Obviously, there are supporters and critics of the ban. Some critics say the limited options for sunscreen now available will result in less sunscreen being used (bad for skin!) while others say that the list of ingredients banned isn’t extensive enough (bad for the ocean!).

Maui County took notice (maybe with other islands to follow soon) and just decided to go ahead and ban ALL the bad ingredients.

Reef Safe vs Reef Friendly

Reef safe sunscreens (all that are sold on Maui now) are sunscreens that are mineral based (the white Zinc based ones that have to be rubbed in).

Reef friendly sunscreens (sold on Oahu, Kauai, and the Big Island) are any sunscreen that doesn’t contain oxybenzone or octinoxate. 

The gold standard for environmental protection (and honestly, keeping nasty chemicals off of your skin) is reef SAFE sunscreen. But reef FRIENDLY sunscreen is still better than the alternatives.

There are currently a LOT of options on the market (both in Hawaii and on the mainland) in both categories.

My Favorite Reef SAFE Sunscreens

Nowadays, pretty much every major sunscreen brand has a mineral based line (SunBum, Coola, etc.) and most of them are available at Target, Walmart, CVS, etc.

Mineral sunscreens come in lotion and spray forms, but just know that even though it’s a spray, it’s still going to spray on white and you’re going to have to rub it in.

I’ve tried a LOT of them and while I really like Coola’s mineral lotion, my new favorite is Project Reef.

Project Reef is a sustainable mineral sunscreen brand that’s actually based on Maui. And I will say, this is one of the best I’ve found so far for being smooth enough to rub into your skin really well.

You can buy Project Reef online here, but it’s available in pretty much every hotel and resort gift shop I’ve been in on Maui lately plus most resorts also have it available for free on the pool deck.

This 4.2 oz bottle cost $24 and I came home from a 5 day sun heavy trip with at least half of the bottle still left.

My Favorite Reef FRIENDLY Sunscreens

Coola has been my favorite sunscreen brand for a LONG TIME. It’s the perfect blend of an organic/natural sunscreen that keeps nasty chemicals to a minimum but is also convenient to apply.

You know what they say…the best sunscreen is the one you’ll wear.

I LOVE Coola’s Classic Sunscreen Spray (the guava mango scent is my favorite). It’s reef safe (does not contain oxybenzone or octinoxate) and it’s a CONTINUOUS, CLEAR spray. This is huge to me.

Yes, Coola products aren’t cheap, but I’ve found them to be a home run because they’re reef friendly AND convenient to apply (and that’s hard to find).

I think the great thing about high traffic tourist destinations adopting these standards for sunscreen ingredients (Key West has since followed Hawaii’s lead), is the number of brands that are stepping up to the challenge and coming out with environmentally friendly sunscreen options. These are just a couple of my favorite brands, but there’s even more that I’m excited to try out soon!