New regulations. Which products are safest? Get ready for summer with our Hawaii sunscreen safety info.
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113 thoughts on “Hawaii Sunscreen Safety Updates + Products You Picked”
New regulations. Which products are safest? Get ready for summer with our Hawaii sunscreen safety info.
Get Breaking Hawaii Travel News
So we are going to Maui soon. We are staying at a place with a full kitchen. I have looked at delta and it states we can bring food in our checked bag. With the price of groceries we are considering bringing some items in our checked bags. Can we bring food into Hawaii in our checked bag if Delta allows it?
Yes, if you are arriving from the United States, you can bring food that’s cooked, canned, frozen, commercially processed and/or packaged. You cannot bring in citrus and pulpy fruits.
Hi, very glad to hear that Hawaii is leading the way to protect our marine lives. Thank you for writing this article to explain this issue in detail. We are in Hawaii visiting for the whole month of July 2021. We noticed one major chain store is carrying sunscreens with these chemicals, in fact, these bottles comprise the bulk of their sunscreen inventory. Is there a way to report this to the official? How are the retailers monitored?
Hi Ivy.
Good question. we aren’t aware of what monitoring the state is actually doing on prohibited sunscreens. If someone else does, maybe they can give us a hand.
Aloha.
SAFE TRAVEL HAWAII, Aloha folks. I have successfully landed on the Hawaiian Islands by following all the rules that each island stipulates. Since I am a guest, I would want to be welcomed warmly by the islanders, so why not agree to play by the rules? What is so hard to get tested within 72 hrs., practice filling out the SAFE TRAVELS, agree to any testing required upon landing? As a guest I am grateful that I am allowed to travel to these wonderful islands, and as part of the agreement, I will abide by their requests for safe travel. I didn’t find that any of the testing was invasive, I have my vaccination, and I want to travel safely and be welcomed wherever I visit. This seems to be the crux, we feel that our rights are being violated by testing, then wanting to get on a plane and land in paradise. It seems to be very simple, practice ALOHA, and ALOHA will happen.Thank you, Drew
DREW C… Congratulations on your long-awaited trip! I agree with everything you say. (I remember your posts about practicing filling out Safe Travels!) I will, however, strongly disagree with you about “What is so hard to get tested within 72 hrs.” As I’ve said before, for us to get tested with Rapid Results assurance, we have to drive 7 hours and stay an extra day in our departure city. That’s not a “not so hard” situation. Coincidentally, this morning on my dog walk, I encountered a “park friend” who told me that one of their family had to back out of their recent trip to Oahu because, although everyone in the family had gotten tested at CVS at the same time, that one person’s test results didn’t come back until 24 hours too late! I’m glad it went easily for you but not everyone is that lucky!
Hello Barbara,
I went to Oahu in June, when the Covid tests were still required. It was easy for me to get the Covid test done, but I live in a large city so I get this is more difficult if you have to drive 7 hours to your departure city.
What I did though was to schedule my test as close to the 72 hour max limit as possible – meaning if Monday at 9am was exactly 72 hours from my Thursday 9am departure, I scheduled my test for Monday at 10am. That way, if there was any sort of snafu on the lab’s part, there would still be enough time to allow for that to be rectified before my flight.
At the airport (LAX), I did see rapid testing labs set up outside the airport terminal area, but I would never want to cut it that close with a full Hawaii trip on the line.
As of July 8, visitors who are vaxxed on the mainland can now visit Hawaii without a Covid test or a quarantine. You do have to still register on the Hawaii State Travel website and have or create an account there in which you provide personal info like travel details, Covid tests results or vax information.
Regarding that family that had to back out of a Hawaii trip because one result came back 24 hours too late, do you know how far in advance of their flight did they get tested? If one party’s lab results came back 24hours after the flight, it sounds like perhaps they may have waited until 1 or 2 days prior to their flight to take their tests. If so, cutting it that close may have worked for most of the party but not for the one outlier. And even if all their lab results didn’t come back in time, were there any rapid results labs options (it literally takes 20 minutes or less to get the result) either in your town or at the airport that could have saved the day? Regardless, it’s all water under the bridge now and I am sad for them.
Thank you Gentlemen for your timely update. It’s very helpful in several ways.
Hi Roy.
Thank you too!
Aloha.
I would hope that airlines would have a handout for arriving passengers alerting them to this issue. Include it with the “invasive species” declaration that they handout before landing.
I like that there is now a ban on damaging sunscreens but how will it be enforced? Are they going to search your luggage at the airport? Obtain a search warrant to enter your premises to make sure you are in compliance? Force you to empty your bag on the beach? I put sunscreen on in my room before I ever go out so how will anyone know what I am using? Or is this just that there will be no sales of damaging sunscreens in the state? Just curious.
I use kokua sun care. Its Hawaiian natural zinc reef safe sunscreen. Ut also has 7 hawaiian grown antioxidant ingredients. I love it and support local hawaii products!
I totally agree with Frank, spray sunscreens are useless, most of it goes anywhere else but your body, and I for one am getting tired of being hit by stray spray.
I’m very sad to find coral-bleaching sunscreens on the shelves in Hawaii.
The ban on certain sunscreens is a god thing not only for the environment but for yourself as well. My suggestion is to skip packing your sunscreen (unless it’s a Rx) and just purchase a small amount in Hawaii (we’ve done this for over 20 years). Plenty of places to purchase I.e. ABC stores, Foodland , various drug stores, etc, etc!
During one of our return trips to the Big Island, we wondered what was the big fuss at the Farmer’s Market and a sunscreen display with old regular sunscreens containers and stats next to them about damage being caused to reefs overall. The company showing this display was Little Hands, a Hawaii owned and made mineral sun protection product. If you traded your existing sunscreen they’d give you a discount to try their sunscreen. We tried it and it was amazing. They have face stick, a body/face sunscreen and an after sun salve. Their website is littlehandshawaii.com they also sell it at some stores. Great sunscreen and it’s ocean, reef and keiki safe. We love it and hope you give it a try and like it too.
Thank you as well for sharing alternatives and options to choose from.
Hi Julieta.
Thanks for sharing that! We hadn’t heard of it before.
Aloha.
We use very little sunscreen any more because we just cover up. Columbia and Izod make shirts that have a 40-50 UPF so if we wear those when out sightseeing or snorkeling nothing else is needed. Columbia also makes other clothing with the same UPF
I have been using mineral based sunscreens for well over 10 years now after I found out that the EU, and Australia banned oxybenzone because of it’s cancer causing affect. Mexican Park authorities also banned the use of oxybenzone based sunscreens it’s it State and National where water activities took place.10 years later only Hawaii has the sense to do the same. Note almost all major sunscreen producers in the US have EU formulae’s ready to make.
This is the website that I have found that tests and ranks sunscreens for safety and effectiveness for a long time. It is the Environmental Working Group. http://www.ewg.org/sunscreen/
Well worth checking out. It will be updated for 2021 shortly.
GENE… Yes, Blue Lizard Face does go on white! But it absorbs very very quickly so if it had the opportunity to make you look “kabuki”(!!!), you probably used too much. You don’t use very much Blue Lizard – certainly not as much as you would other sunscreens.
DEBBIE… I’ve had numerous dermatologists tell me that anything over 50 is a waste of $$$ – in fact, some will tell you anything over 30 is purely psychological prevention. But do as your dermatologist tells you. I never went to medical school!
I swear by the sunscreens (and everything else!) from Stream2Sea – top-rated, reef-safe, created by a female outdoor enthusiast/cosmetic chemist.
We have been on the Big Island for 6 weeks and agree with the others about confusion. We tried comparing EWG and Consumer Reports and were left wondering how to make sense of the totally contradicting information. Ultimately, we went with SuperGoop.
ewg.org/sunscreen/about-the-sunscreens/?search=supergoop
Not all products in their line got great scores on EWG but a few were outstanding. We simply love the “Unseen” for face. It’s not greasy, doesn’t feel like spreading spackle and is beard and eyebrow friendly (haha).
I love using a spray for ease of application but didn’t try the Alba that Costco sells. I saw a lot of it being used so may be worth a try.
I wish more tropical islands and other locations with coral reefs would prohibit reef-unfriendly sunscreens. My husband and 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.
Now if we can get the spray sunscreens banned…
I know they are more convenient, particularly for wriggling kids, but Hawaii can be a windy place. Step back 10′ and watch someone spray on sunscreen at the beach. A good deal of it just blows away, onto other people, or into the water. Slather on the zinc at regular intervals (Don’t be skimpy with it. I use a putty knife.) and you’re good to go. Wear the biggest hat that won’t blow off, long sleeves, and you’re even better off.
I totally agree with Frank, spray sunscreens are useless, most of it goes anywhere else but your body, and I for one am getting tired of being hit by stray spray.
JERRY and FRANK… I always laugh at the pathetic scene of a tourist spraying themselves all over the place – all over the place but on themselves! Doesn’t the husband, wife, mother, father, etc who’s not doing the spraying see what’s going on!?!?!
Oh I can’t wait for the “your taking my freedom comments by making me use surf safe tan lotion. I just purchased mine
You said these have a variety of spfs but I only found 30 and 50. I only wear 70 or above. I am very fair skinned and burn easily. Yes 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.
DEBBIE N… I’d rather take the recommendation of a licensed dermatologist than Consumer Reports. (In my case, three dermatologists from three different practices.) Plus many of the ones CR recommends are not “reef safe”.
We like Absolutely Natural sunscreen.
DIANE F… Absolutely Natural is what they sold at the Marriott for years. Then they stopped. Absolutely Natural opened a little shop in Harbor Mall. They they closed. We could only get it online and that time when it didn’t arrive on time (my fault, not theirs), was when I used Sun Bum and got a melanoma. I didn’t know AN was still around. It’s great stuff!
Yes, they sell it at Sheraton in Kaanapali and at Grand Wailea kiosk. You can also buy on Amazon. Love the Rose Hip lotion for after sunning and their Organic Beauty Oil and Beauty Cream/Lotion is to die for!👍
If my sunscreen says ‘reef friendly’ does that mean it’s allowed in Hawaii? I’m looking at Alba Botanica Hawaiian Sunscreen broad spectrum SPF 45 Green Tea.
No, apparently it does not meet the standards. We bought that and took on a snorkel cruise December 2020 and the guides politely told us that is false advertising and it is not free of whatever ingredient that was harmful. I hope the ABC store is now carrying only approved sunscreens!
OZ – “Reef Friendly” should mean Hawaii acceptable.
Don’t be fooled by “reef safe” label. We have found a few that state they are but reading the active ingredients they proved not to be. Read the active ingredients to be sure. Lotions are not hairy man friendly, found Godess Garden , all mineral spray, spf 30 that works well. This product must be rubbed in to be effective, unlike some that sit on your skin like lacquer. Another subject are the rip off rental car prices. My son in law booked a mini van for August and got a great deal , at OGG through National, usually a premium priced agency, 14 days for $750 with car seats for the kids. We are reasoning that they will be back to normal inventory by then and reasonable pricing. Our 14 day car in mid May on Maui is a whooping $1400 . Oh well at least we have one.
Thanks for all you guys do, the updates are priceless!!
Mahalo
Hi Greg.
Thanks. We appreciate the feedback on reef sale labeled sunscreens.
Aloha
I use Alba Botanical sunscreens and they are free of the banned ingredients. Yay!
My dermatologist recommended this sunscreen for me. I am very fair complected so I burn very easily. This really worked well the last time we were in Hawaii and is reef safe. bluelizardsunscreen.com/pages/about-us
Sheryl B…Two votes for Blue Lizard!!!
I am a pharmacist and I always recommend and use Blue Lizard
Thank you for this list! My husband and I were in Maui in February and were advised at the snorkel store that stores on the islands were allowed to continue selling the banned sunscreens until they sold them out so there were still lots of the damaging options on the shelves of grocery stores. The confusing part was trying to determine which ones were the safe ones and which ones were not. Ultimately we just used our sunglasses, hats, and rash guards when under the intense sun. Our other solution was our old stand-by when we visit the islands and just limit our exposure to sun during the hours of 11:00and 3:00. With these options we managed to spend plenty of time in the water without sunscreen and without getting burned the week we were there.
Hi Andee.
Thanks for that feedback from your recent Maui vacation.
Aloha.
Humans are able to modify their behavior to prevent sun damage and skin cancer. Sealife can’t protect itself from all the damage we do to it, so we should make any changes we can to prevent further harm.