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Travel and outings with kids

Reef-safe sunscreen

A marketing label for sunscreen meant to signal it won't harm coral; no regulator defines the term, so the active ingredients list is what to check.

What It Means

Reef-safe sunscreen is a phrase sunscreen makers put on packaging to suggest the product won't hurt coral reefs. The National Academies' review of sunscreens in the water found no scientific, health professional or regulatory definition for the claim, so two bottles with the same words can hold different ingredients. What NOAA does name are the ingredients of concern: oxybenzone and octinoxate are the best known, and NOAA reports that oxybenzone is highly toxic to young corals.

Try It: Check the Active Ingredients on Your Sunscreen

Turn the bottle over and tick the active ingredients its Drug Facts label lists.

Tick what the label lists to see what NOAA says about it.

For anyone over 6 months, FDA advises broad spectrum, SPF 15 or higher, reapplied at least every two hours.

How People Say It

  • "Does this one say reef safe, or just reef friendly?"
  • "Grab the zinc one, we're snorkeling today."
  • "Rash guards on, then we need less sunscreen."

The Breakdown

How to pick sunscreen with the reef in mind

  1. Cover up first. NOAA suggests shade and UPF sun shirts and pants, and its coral program adds long sleeves and hats, so there's less skin that needs sunscreen at all.
  2. Ignore the front of the bottle and read the active ingredients on the Drug Facts label, since "reef safe" has no agreed meaning.
  3. Leave out oxybenzone and octinoxate, the two ingredients NOAA calls the best known for harming coral.
  4. Look for a mineral filter, zinc oxide or titanium dioxide, which NOAA's coral program describes as a better option for aquatic life.
  5. Keep FDA's rules for skin: broad spectrum, SPF 15 or higher for children over 6 months, reapplied at least every two hours and more often after swimming. Babies under 6 months stay out of direct sun.

Try it today. Check the sunscreen already in the beach bag. If oxybenzone or octinoxate is on the active list, finish it at the pool and buy a mineral one before the next ocean trip.

Good to Know

Hawaii's Act 104 (Session Laws of Hawaii 2018) made it unlawful, from January 1, 2021, to sell, offer for sale or distribute for sale in the state any sunscreen containing oxybenzone or octinoxate without a prescription from a licensed health care provider. NOAA Ocean Service says oxybenzone reaches the ocean both through wastewater and straight off swimmers who are wearing it. Protecting the reef never replaces protecting the kids: FDA's two-hour reapplication advice still holds, and call the pediatrician about a sunburn that worries you, or 911 in an emergency.

FAQ

Is "reef safe" a regulated term?

No regulator has defined it. The National Academies' review of sunscreens in the water found no scientific, health professional or regulatory definition or guidance for the label, so check the active ingredients yourself.

Which sunscreen ingredients harm coral reefs?

NOAA Ocean Service names oxybenzone (BP-3) and octinoxate as the best known, and reports that a 2016 study found oxybenzone highly toxic to juvenile corals. Hawaii bars the sale of sunscreen containing either one without a prescription.

Is mineral sunscreen OK for kids?

For children over 6 months, FDA advises any broad spectrum sunscreen of SPF 15 or higher, reapplied at least every two hours, and a zinc oxide or titanium dioxide one can meet that. For babies under 6 months, FDA and the AAP advise shade and clothing, and a word with the pediatrician before sunscreen.

Do It in Buhata

Shopping, Reminders

Add a broad spectrum mineral sunscreen to Shopping before the beach trip, and set a Reminder to reapply two hours after the first coat goes on.

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Related Terms and Categories

  • Sun safety

    The habits that protect skin and eyes from the sun's UV rays: shade, covering clothes, a hat, sunglasses and broad spectrum sunscreen reapplied often.

  • Beach day checklist

    A list of what to pack and do for a safe day at the beach with kids: sun protection, water, life jackets, a lifeguarded spot and an adult watching at all times.

  • Packing list

    A written list of everything to bring on a trip, ticked off as each item goes in a bag so nothing important gets left behind.

  • Travel first aid kit

    A small, packable kit of first aid supplies, medicines and health papers a family carries on a trip so minor problems can be handled away from home.

  • Family vacation

    A trip taken together by a parent or parents and their children, usually planned around school breaks, the children's ages and a shared budget.

Travel and outings with kids

Sources

NOAA National Ocean Service, "Sunscreen Chemicals and Coral Reefs"; NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program, "The effects of ultraviolet filters and sunscreen on corals and aquatic ecosystems"; National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, "Review of Fate, Exposure, and Effects of Sunscreens in Aquatic Environments and Implications for Sunscreen Usage and Human Health"; Hawaii State Legislature, Act 104, Session Laws of Hawaii 2018; U.S. Food and Drug Administration, "Tips to Stay Safe in the Sun: From Sunscreen to Sunglasses"

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