Evidence
What the evidence can tell you, and what it cannot
Reef Label uses three different kinds of answer. Law tells you what a place allows. Ingredient evidence describes possible environmental effects, with large gaps still open. Packing judgment turns those two records and a dated Drug Facts panel into a practical choice. A pass under a law is not proof that a formula is harmless to reefs.
Law: the written rule for each place
The legal screens answer a narrow question. Hawaii Act 104 names two filters, while Maui and the Big Island use a mineral-only rule. Palau and the US Virgin Islands name different lists. HEL is included for comparison, but it is a private lab screen and not a law.
| Place or screen | What the screen says | Authority |
|---|---|---|
| Hawaii statewide (Act 104) | Sale of oxybenzone or octinoxate sunscreens banned without a prescription, from 1 Jan 2021. Other chemical filters still legal statewide. | SB2571 / Act 104 (2018), LegiScan |
| Maui County (Ordinance 5306) | Only mineral sunscreens (zinc oxide and/or titanium dioxide as UV filters) may be sold, distributed, or used without a prescription, from 1 Oct 2022. | Maui County, Mineral Only Sunscreen |
| Hawaiʻi County (Bill 167 / Ord. 22-81) | Non-mineral sunscreen is any formula whose active is not titanium dioxide or zinc oxide. Sale and distribution banned without a prescription, from 1 Dec 2022. | Hawaiʻi County Bill 167 text via Kona-Kohala Chamber |
| U.S. Virgin Islands | Oxybenzone, octinoxate, and octocrylene banned in sunscreen. | USVI Act 8604 (2020). Confirm on current USVI code before travel |
| Palau | Ten-ingredient ban including oxybenzone, octinoxate, octocrylene, 4-MBC, triclosan, four parabens, and phenoxyethanol. A zinc lotion can still fail Palau on the preservative. | Palau Responsible Tourism Education Act of 2018 |
| Strict / HEL-style | Haereticus Environmental Laboratory list: oxybenzone, octinoxate, octocrylene, homosalate, 4-MBC, PABA, parabens, triclosan, nano zinc/titanium, microplastics. Not a law. The stricter screen people mean when they say reef-safe. | HEL reef-safe criteria (lab list, not a statute) |
These rules can change. Check the linked authority before travel, especially where the source itself asks for confirmation.
Ingredient evidence: a question that is still open
Laboratory studies give reasons to examine some UV filters, but exposure in a lab is not the same as risk on a reef. The National Academies reviewed the evidence in 2022 and found that UV filters are detectable in water, sediment, and tissue. It also found the available data too limited to determine the ecological risk and recommended a formal EPA risk assessment.
Mineral does not close that uncertainty. Formulation, particle coating, concentration, and real-world exposure all matter. Reef Label therefore does not turn a mineral-only legal pass into a claim that a bottle has been proven safe for coral.
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, 2022 review
Packing judgment: match the bottle to the trip
Start with the destination rule, then match the exact Active ingredients on the bottle. For Maui, that means zinc oxide, titanium dioxide, or both as the UV filters. A Palau trip also needs the other ingredients checked because an otherwise mineral lotion can fail there on phenoxyethanol.
Water resistance is a separate packing question. The catalog records the minutes printed on the panel; it does not measure performance in the ocean. If the bottle in your hand disagrees with a dated entry, use the bottle and send the correction.
Reef Label is a label comparison, not legal advice or an ecological safety certification. Product formulas and local rules can change. Catalog evidence was most recently verified 2026-08-16.