Hawaii Sunscreen Ban: Waterproof Sunscreens That Are Coral Reef-Friendly

My home state of Hawaii just took a big step to help preserve their beloved coral reefs. On May 1st, Hawaii passed a bill that bans the sale of sunscreens that contain ingredients said to harm coral reefs. That’s because scientists found evidence that oxybenzone and octinoxate, common sunscreen ingredients, contribute to coral bleaching when they’re washed off into the ocean.

As Mixed Makeup’s resident sunscreen hoarder, this news struck a particular chord with me. I had no idea that my habit of slathering sunscreen all over my body obsessively caused such damage to the place where I grew up. Even though the ban doesn’t go into effect until January 1st, 2021, I made it my mission to put together a list of waterproof/water-resistant sunscreens that are free of those harmful ingredients.

Turns out, it’s a lot harder than I thought to find waterproof sunscreens that don’t contain the offending ingredients. I first looked up all my favorites and one-by-one they all failed the test. So I dug deeper, and thankfully still found a good amount of quality products that passed.

FOR THE BODY

Sun Bum SPF 50 Moisturizing Sunscreen Lotion ($16) | Soleil Toujours Organic Sheer Sunscreen Mist SPF 50 ($34) | MDSolarSciences Mineral Moisture Defense SPF 50 Body ($39) | Blue Lizard Australian Sunscreen Sensitive Sunscreen SPF 30 Plus ($30) | Juice Beauty SPF 30 Sport Sunscreen ($16)

FOR THE FACE

La Roche-Posay Anthelios Clear Skin Dry Touch Sunscreen SPF 60 ($20) | SkinCeuticals Sport UV Defense SPF 50 ($40) | Avene Mineral Light Hydrating Sunscreen Lotion SPF 50+ ($36) | Jan Marini Physical Protectant Broad Spectrum SPF 45 ($41) | CeraVe Face Lotion SPF 50 ($15)

Here’s hoping this new legislation will encourage brands to reformulate their sunscreens to be more environmentally friendly!