Sunscreen by bottle and placeReef Label

Sunscreen checker

Protect your skin. Pack with the reef in mind.

A reef-friendly claim on the front does not settle the question. Check the exact formula against the place you are going, then see what the label and current evidence can actually tell you.

Drug Facts

Choose the place, then search a bottle or type its active ingredients

Where are you going?

Chemical UV filters fail. Zinc-only passes.

Start with a name we already checked:

How to use Reef Label

Start with the trip, then check the tube

  1. 1. Choose the place

    Pick the strictest destination on your itinerary.

  2. 2. Match the bottle

    Find the exact product or enter the Active ingredients from the back.

  3. 3. Read the recommendation

    Check what to pack, why, and which part of the answer remains uncertain.

There is no single rule that makes a bottle reef-safe everywhere. Hawaii's statewide law, Maui, Palau, and the US Virgin Islands restrict different ingredients. A bottle can clear one place and fail the next. Even a legal pass does not prove zero reef impact.

Why Reef Label exists

One bottle has to do two jobs

You need reliable sun protection, and you want to avoid unnecessary reef exposure. Local law answers part of that decision. The ingredient evidence and the way you use sunscreen answer other parts. Reef Label keeps those judgments separate and tells you what to pack.

Start with clothing where it works. For the skin left exposed, check the actual Drug Facts instead of trusting the claim on the front.

What the stamps promise

Each stamp belongs to one written rule or ingredient screen. PASS means the formula cleared that screen. It does not mean zero impact on every reef.

  • PASSThe formula clears this named screen. That is not proof that it has no reef impact.
  • FAILLeave this bottle home for that place. A listed filter or preservative stops it.
  • MIXEDCheck the exact tube. Bottles sold under the same brand do not agree.

What each place requires

Full rules

The same tube can be legal on Oahu and fail Maui. Choose the place first, then read the bottle result.

  • HI Act 104

    No oxybenzone, no octinoxate. Every other chemical filter is still legal.

  • Maui

    Mineral only. Zinc oxide or titanium dioxide has to be the UV filter.

  • Big Island

    Mineral only, the same bar as Maui. Oahu is not this strict.

  • USVI

    No oxybenzone, octinoxate, or octocrylene.

  • Palau

    Ten banned ingredients. A zinc lotion can still fail on phenoxyethanol.

  • HEL

    Not a law. The lab list most people mean when they say reef-safe.

Brands we have checked

All brands

A brand name cannot answer the question. Open the brand to find the exact lotion, spray, stick, or face formula you are holding.

If you are packing for a trip

The destination changes the answer. Begin with the place, then use the bottle result to finish the packing decision.