<!-- Meradimate: is it reef safe? Where it's banned | Reef Label -->
Source: https://reeflabel.com/ingredients/meradimate/

Chemical (organic) UV filter · Reef research: Limited data

# Meradimate

A rarely used US UVA filter.

Banned in

-   Palau

Also excluded where only mineral sunscreen is allowed

-   Maui County
-   Hawaiʻi County

## Where it’s restricted

Named in the law or guidance

| Location | Status | Since |
| --- | --- | --- |
| [Palau](https://reeflabel.com/locations/palau/) [law text ↗](https://www.palaugov.pw/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/RPPL-No.-10-30-re.-The-Responsible-Tourism-Education-Act-of-2018.pdf) | In force | January 1, 2020 |

### Also not allowed under mineral-only rules

Meradimate isn’t named in these laws, but they allow only mineral (zinc oxide or titanium dioxide) sunscreens, so a product containing it is excluded anyway.

-   [Maui County (Maui, Molokaʻi, Lānaʻi)](https://reeflabel.com/locations/maui-county/) (in force since October 1, 2022)
-   [Hawaiʻi County (Big Island)](https://reeflabel.com/locations/hawaii-county/) (in force since December 1, 2022)

## Why it’s regulated

The FDA's 2021 proposed sunscreen order put meradimate in its not-GRASE group because the public record lacked enough data, and FDA says this is not a conclusion that the ingredient is unsafe. The order is still a proposal, and FDA says it will address the other proposals in future orders.

## What the reef research says

No coral, larval or other marine toxicity study of meradimate was found in the sources we reviewed, so lab doses cannot be compared with real-world levels. A 2021 critical review of organic UV filters and corals lists meradimate in its ingredient table. The sources read do not report measured seawater or coral concentrations for it.

-   [FDA: Questions and answers on FDA's regulatory actions on over-the-counter sunscreen](https://www.fda.gov/drugs/understanding-over-counter-medicines/questions-and-answers-fdas-regulatory-actions-over-counter-sunscreen)
-   [A Critical Review of Organic Ultraviolet Filter Exposure, Hazard, and Risk to Corals (Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, 2021; doi:10.1002/etc.4948)](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8048829/)
-   [21 CFR 352.10, Sunscreen active ingredients (eCFR; ensulizole, meradimate, octinoxate and octisalate appear under their revised names in the stayed 2002 amendment)](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-21/section-352.10)

## Products that contain it (1)

[

CeraVe

AM Facial Moisturizing Lotion SPF 30 (earlier formula)Discontinued

SPF 30 · lotion · Chemical/hybrid

Allowed in 1 of 9 placesNot allowed: Hawaii, Maui County +6

](https://reeflabel.com/products/cerave-am-facial-moisturizing-lotion-spf-30-earlier-formula/)

[Search these products that list meradimate →](https://reeflabel.com/products/?q=meradimate)

**Related ingredients:** [Avobenzone](https://reeflabel.com/ingredients/avobenzone/), [Ecamsule (Mexoryl SX)](https://reeflabel.com/ingredients/ecamsule/), [Padimate O](https://reeflabel.com/ingredients/padimate-o/)

Last reviewed October 14, 2026.

### Label names we match

-   meradimate
-   menthyl anthranilate

### Regulatory status

**Wikidata:** [Q15269714](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q15269714)

**US FDA:** Insufficient data: not GRASE under FDA's 2019 proposal, restated in its 2021 proposed order (OTC000008), until more safety data are submitted. Still a proposal as of September 2026. Max 5% in the US.

**EU:** Not approved.

**Protects against:** UVA-II.