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Beat of Hawaii

Hawaii Travel News, Tips, Culture, Events, And Deals.

Hawaii Sunscreen Safety Updates + Products You Picked

April 15, 2021 by Beat of Hawaii 113 Comments

Your Hawaiian Sunscreen + Products You Picked

We follow TSA on Twitter. That’s a good thing since we have not seen this reported. Boy, we were very surprised to read that they had just reversed a ruling that we wrote about just two days ago.

Full-size Sunscreens are NOT OK per TSA revision.

New TSA guidelines went into effect last week when they announced that starting April 7, sunscreens became part of the TSA list of medically approved items. That meant that full-size containers were to have been permitted in your carry-on.

“TSA allows larger amounts of medically necessary liquids, gels, and aerosols in reasonable quantities for your trip, but you must declare them to security officers at the checkpoint for inspection.”

Yesterday TSA reversed their decision stating:

“Our website incorrectly reported that sunscreen containers larger than 3.4 oz were allowed in carry-on bags if medically necessary. That error has been corrected. Sunscreen in carry-on bags must be 3.4 oz or less. Larger quantities should be placed in checked bags.”

Fascinating comments about which sunscreens you pick and why.

Maria addressed physical sunblocks, saying: “I have been using mineral-based sunscreen for the past several years. If you’re confused about what to use, then look at the active ingredients. If the active ingredients are titanium dioxide and/or zinc oxide, then it’s OK. Some of the Banana Boat products are mineral-based, and that’s what we use. I’ve always worn a T-shirt when I snorkeled, and I started wearing swim leggings a couple of years ago, so now I need very little sunscreen.

Debbie addressed conflicting sunscreen ratings and SPF, adding, “You said these have a variety of spfs but I only found 30 and 50. I only wear 70 or above… I always wear a hat, sunglasses, and rash guard and use an umbrella but the reflection from the water still causes problems. Also Consumer Reports gives all the ones you mentioned average or bad ratings.This is very concerning.

Regular commenter Barbara concurred with many others about this one product, saying: “Two votes for Blue Lizard!!” Kaci concurred, “I am a pharmacist and I always recommend and use Blue Lizard. That’s one we have on hand ourselves.

Kathy added an interesting comment, “Avoid sunscreens with high content of Titanium Dioxide. This mineral does not biodegrade and is found to react in warm seawater to form hydrogen peroxide which is harmful to all sea life. Oxybenzone and octinoxate, the two chemicals recently banned in Hawaii and are believed to cause coral bleaching.”

Lastly Gene said, “I ran out of sunscreen on a trip to Oahu and I bought a bottle of Blue Lizard Australian Sunscreen, Sensitive, SPF 30+ at Longs after reading EWG reviews. It turned my skin white and I looked like a Kabuki actor until it was absorbed but it worked very well.”

From our last update:

Hawaii is still somewhat ahead of the curve and has banned sunscreens that can damage our marine environment and coral reefs. And of course our health. In the first such move of a U.S. state, Hawaii prevents the sale and distribution of sunscreens containing oxybenzone and octinoxate. These chemicals are found in literally thousands of sunscreens. The new law became effective on January 1, 2021.

“Our natural environment is fragile, and our own interaction with the earth can have lasting impacts…. This new law is just one step toward protecting the health and resiliency of Hawaii’s coral reefs.” — Governor David Ige.

World beaches enacting sunscreen bans

US Virgin Islands. A ban on chemical sunscreens and outlawing of imports and sales of products containing oxybenzone and octinoxate went into effect last year.

Bonaire. The island will ban the sale of chemical sunscreens in 2021.

Key West, Florida. Ban effective January 2021, stores cannot sell sunscreens containing reef-damaging chemicals. That was, however, struck down by a subsequent statewide law.

Palau. This was the first country to enact a sunscreen ban. It went into effect in 2020.

Aruba. Effective 2020, sunscreens containing oxybenzone have been prohibited.

Oxybenzone and coral reefs

In addition to health safety, one of the other huge issues is that a significant amount of sunscreen applied to your skin is released into the water. Over time, with Hawaii’s millions of visitors, voluminous amounts of sunscreen end up in our coral reefs. This causes coral damage, including bleaching, DNA injury, starvation, and reproductive and development issues. Reefs are an integral part of our marine ecosystem and are essential to the environment. According to NOAA, “coral reefs buffer adjacent shorelines from wave action and prevent erosion, property damage and loss of life.”

There are many other excellent choices for sunscreens that are safer both for you and for our precious environment. These are based on physical rather than chemical sun barriers.

How effective is your Hawaiian sunscreen?

We’ve been writing about staying safe under the Hawaii sun for more than 10 years. As always, your best protection is a shirt, hat, and proper sunglasses. But beyond that, here’s how to stay covered in the islands and elsewhere.

Safer and effective alternatives in Hawaiian sunscreen

Many new safer products are available compared with even a couple of years ago. Read on for some of the highest-rated sunscreen products that also feature low toxicity to you and the environment. These products still provide great sunburn (and questionable skin cancer) prevention caused by UVA and UVB exposure while not injuring Hawaii’s coral reefs.

The following families of products are among the safest and most effective (according to EWG) and the highest rated by consumers. They list 183 recreational sunscreens which meet EWG’s criteria. We’d love to hear your other suggestions and sources:

Thinksport Sunscreens (various SPF)

Kiss My Face Organics Sunscreens

Badger Sunscreens (various SPF) (Used by Beat of Hawaii editors)

ThinkBaby Safe Sunscreen

JAMA study revealed new issues with chemical sunscreens.

Researchers have said that chemical sunscreens may be far more dangerous than previously revealed and that children maybe even more at risk from these chemicals than adults. A study in the medical journal JAMA revealed that common sunscreen products containing avobenzone, oxybenzone, ecamsule, and octocrylene need much more research. Blood concentration of these chemicals has for the first time been studied and found after just one day’s use. Serum levels rise with continued use and following application. It is questionable whether these products can be “generally regarded as safe and effective, ” which is FDA’s safety measure.

According to the study, “oxybenzone… has been found in human breast milk (and) in amniotic fluid, urine, and blood… Some studies… have raised questions about the potential for oxybenzone to affect endocrine activity.” Regarding Oxybenzone, the Environmental Working Group previously said CDC: “has detected oxybenzone in more than 96 percent of the American population… Participants who reported using sunscreen have higher oxybenzone exposures… Oxybenzone can cause allergic skin reactions and may disrupt hormones.”

What products have worked best for you?

Article updated 4/15/21.

Beat of Hawaii © photo on Oahu.

 

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Comments

  1. Jim says

    July 14, 2018 at 12:35 am

    I don’t understand, if it’s so bad for the ecosystem in Hawaii’s ocean waters, why allow it to continue for 2 and a half more years?! I could see 6 months to allow retailers to sell out product, or send it back to the manufacturer, but 2 more years on top of that??? It’s rediculous, and makes no sense to wait that long. That’s government at its finest for you…

    Reply
  2. Yasmin says

    July 13, 2018 at 5:50 pm

    Please encourage people to forego the sunscreen and just wear SPF rated long sleeve rashguards or water shirts.

    Reply
  3. Cynthia says

    July 13, 2018 at 3:12 pm

    Before we visited Hawaii we researched what sunscreen to bring. We wanted to make sure whatever we got was environmentally safe.
    I also burn very easily and wanted to make sure I was protected. I also bought a beach cover up and hat.
    We bought Kiss My Face spf 30. It was wonderful. It may be pricey but worth it. We were there for 10 days and in the sun a lot and I never burned.
    I hope more people will buy environmentally safe sunscreens sooner then when the law takes effect, as we noticed significant bleaching of the coral while snorkeling in spots all over the Big Island.

    Reply
  4. Lauren says

    July 13, 2018 at 12:46 pm

    How does Sun Bum brand compare?

    Reply
  5. Patrick D. says

    July 13, 2018 at 12:42 pm

    On inbound flights and cruise ship shore excursions, the carriers should offer informative flyers to tourists in many languages. Tourists might be bringing in banned sunscreens. Airport lobbies could have surrender bins – bin attendants (volunteers) could perhaps provide coupons to save money on Safe Sunscreen brands supplied by the manufacturers.

    Reply
  6. KIM says

    July 13, 2018 at 12:34 pm

    The Kiss My Face Organics sunscreen that you have linked to contains 7.5% Octinoxate so would not work for the new Hawaiian sunscreen law.

    Reply
  7. John A says

    July 13, 2018 at 12:29 pm

    Hi and Mahalo for the story, I love you guy’s!
    I use and always have used Hawaiian Tropic dark tanning oil, it does not contain either of those ingredients, however the Hawaiian Tropic oil spray 4 spf uva/uvb contains the Oxybenzone 2.0% along with Avobenzone 2.8% and Octocrylene 2.2% all under medicinal ingredients …Mahalo Rhonda I will look for Planet Sun up here in Calgary and if I can’t find it here, well I’m just gonna have to move back home to the Islands…
    Mahalo’s and Aloha to everyone

    Reply
    • Beat of Hawaii says

      July 16, 2018 at 10:20 pm

      Best aloha and mahalo John!

      Reply
  8. SF says

    July 13, 2018 at 12:28 pm

    “Oxybenzone may also cause hormonal disruptions and cell damage itself, and could be cancer causing. More on this is likely to come to the forefront based on research soon.” Hmmm, well, what that says is there is no evidence yet of those results. But we DO know that sun exposure does cause skin cancer, do effective protection is crucial.

    Reply
  9. Lynn says

    July 13, 2018 at 12:19 pm

    You basically want to look for a sunscreen that is zinc oxide based. There is some question as to the safety of titanium dioxide.

    Reply
  10. Sue says

    April 15, 2018 at 1:39 pm

    What’s happening with the floods on Kauai?

    Reply
  11. Gene says

    April 14, 2018 at 11:53 am

    A few years ago, I ran out of sunscreen on a trip to Oahu and I bought a bottle of Blue Lizard Australian Sunscreen, Sensitive, SPF 30+ at Longs after reading EWG reviews. It turned my skin white and I looked like a Kabuki actor until it was absorbed but it worked very well. Since then, I buy two of the 8.75 oz bottles at the start of every year to protect my skin on my almost-daily 3 hour bike rides here in Tennessee.

    Reply
  12. Janie says

    April 14, 2018 at 11:28 am

    Bravo for Hawaiian Airlines!!! Just FYI, some of the sunscreens listed in the article above, although highly rated by EWG, contain octinoxate which is not reef-safe.

    Reply
  13. Glenn W says

    March 22, 2017 at 7:22 am

    I have used Coppertone’s Pure and Simple Kids lotion for a few years. It is Zinc Oxide based and works well.

    Reply
    • Beat of Hawaii says

      March 22, 2017 at 9:52 pm

      Hi Glenn.

      EWG says that there are some issues with that product. That a reason we did not list it.

      Aloha.

      Reply
  14. Jay says

    March 8, 2017 at 5:25 am

    Hello,
    I noticed all the sunsceens you have listed are spf 30. We live on the east coast and use 70 and above. We will be in Hawaii in May and am wondering about which sunscreen to buy. Is there a difference in these brands verses regular brands ratings?
    I have learned many things from your emails.
    Thank you

    Reply
    • Beat of Hawaii says

      March 8, 2017 at 8:58 am

      Hi Jay.

      You might want to research SPF as the numbers may mean very little above a certain point. We just wanted to present brands that had multiple products with the best ratings from purchasers and the highest safety.

      Aloha.

      Reply
  15. Mary M says

    March 7, 2017 at 3:55 am

    ANy dermatologist will tell you to use a product with zinc oxide. There are now products with an invisible form of it. I lived in Florida for 26 years and you do what you have to do. I put on sunscreen every morning before I go out, and repeat it every three or four hours.

    Reply
  16. Renj says

    March 6, 2017 at 2:02 pm

    So Coppertone Banana Boat and Neutrogena are all bad?

    Reply
    • Beat of Hawaii says

      March 6, 2017 at 2:09 pm

      Hi Renj.

      Those all scored worse on the EWG list of sunscreens. The ones we listed all had the highest ratings.

      Aloha.

      Reply
  17. shep says

    March 6, 2017 at 1:32 pm

    I’m a big fan of Planet Sun sunscreen… Buy Hawaiian!

    Reply
  18. Rhonda says

    March 6, 2017 at 12:24 pm

    I have always loved Planet Sun sunscreen and suncare, which I learned about from the owner who started the company on Oahu. They are a small company that cares about people’s health and the environment. Their products have never contained Oxybenzone, and the products are geared towards active lifestyles…triathletes, swimmers, cyclists, surfers. Great product that works and is safe for our reefs. It is available online and at just about any bike/running/swimming/surf shop on all the Hawaiian islands.

    Reply
  19. Rich303 says

    March 6, 2017 at 11:59 am

    I see no mention of rash guards in this posting. While playing in the water or snorkeling, they are more effective than the best sunscreen and have zero impact on the marine environment.

    Always take at least two with you so you’ll always have a dry one available

    Reply
  20. Renee says

    July 9, 2010 at 11:54 am

    How about a summary of 10 to buy, 10 to avoid of commonly available sunscreens? Must use sunscreen in Hawaii always myself. Thanks much

    Reply
    • Brad says

      March 6, 2017 at 1:28 pm

      Mahalo for the useful article. I have been using Australian Gold Botanical Sunscreen 50 spf with 4% titanium dioxide and 4% zinc oxide for the last week to good effect.

      Reply
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