What sunscreen is banned in Hawaii?

The short answer: oxybenzone and octinoxate

Hawaii's law bans the sale and distribution of sunscreens that contain oxybenzone (benzophenone-3) or octinoxate (octyl methoxycinnamate). It took effect on January 1, 2021. Two independent reviews confirm both the date and the two ingredients, including a review of UV filters.

The state's stated reason was concern for coral reefs and the wider marine ecosystem. The law was passed in 2018, which makes it one of the earlier state-level sunscreen restrictions in the U.S.

What the ban covers, and what it leaves out

The bottom line is that the ban is narrower than many people assume. It names two chemicals, uses a prescription exemption, and leaves several enforcement details unconfirmed.

• Covered: sales and distribution of products containing oxybenzone or octinoxate.
• Exempt: products sold with a prescription, according to a National Academies review of sunscreens in aquatic environments.
• Not confirmed: penalties, the exact product definition, and whether possession or personal use is restricted. We could not retrieve the statute text.

If you are traveling, the safest assumption is that the law targets sales in the state, not your own bottle. That is an inference from the sources, not a confirmed reading of the statute.

Why these two chemicals: the reef numbers

The bottom line is that the numbers are real but mixed. Lab toxicity and field concentrations in Hawaii do not point in the same direction, so the case is a judgment call.

In a JAAD review titled 'No aloha for sunscreen,' the lethal concentration for half of coral cells (LC50) for oxybenzone was estimated at 8 to 340 parts per billion in vitro. Measured seawater oxybenzone in Hawaii ranged from 0.8 to 19.2 ppb, which the authors judged to be in the low-toxicity range.

The same review reported 75 to 1,400 ppb in the U.S. Virgin Islands, with levels overlapping the proposed LC50. It also estimated that sunscreen washed off tourist reefs could reach 14,000 tons per year.

A coral stress study found that oxybenzone-related compound OC triggered stress responses and mitochondrial dysfunction at 50 micrograms per liter, roughly 50 ppb. The authors noted that this was only 5 to 10 times higher than the highest environmental levels in the literature.

Does a reef safe label mean you are covered?

The bottom line is no, not necessarily. A reef safe label does not tell you which chemicals were left out, and the law covers only two of the NOAA-listed chemicals.

NOAA cites eight chemicals as toxic to coral, and Hawaii's law covers only oxybenzone and octinoxate, as a PubMed-indexed review on reef and skin-cancer effects notes. A product can be legal in Hawaii and still contain other listed chemicals.

In a JAAD cross-sectional study of 148 products, reef safe labeled items averaged $3.84 per ounce, compared with $2.61 for unlabeled ones. The pattern below shows how ingredients tracked with price.

What the human-health evidence says

The bottom line is that the human-health evidence does not show sunscreen causing harm, and the ban's skin-cancer effects are disputed. That is a mixed picture, not a clean win for either side.

The JAAD risk-benefit review found no convincing studies showing that sunscreen harms human health. It also reported that regular use may reduce the risk of squamous cell carcinoma and melanoma.

A separate review argues the ban could have skin-cancer consequences, and researchers disagree on that point. We did not find data showing whether the ban changed sunscreen sales or reef outcomes in Hawaii.

For now, the practical takeaway is simple: keep using sunscreen, and read the active ingredients rather than trusting the front label. Our sunscreen topic hub collects the rest of our coverage.