Is Coppertone Clearly Sheer Whipped Sunscreen SPF 50 Reef Safe?

Not by the law. Not allowed in any of the 9 places we track. See why

Not allowed: Hawaii
Not allowed: Maui County
Not allowed: Hawaiʻi County
Not allowed: U.S. Virgin Islands
Not allowed: Palau
Not allowed: Aruba
Not allowed: Guam
Not allowed: Northern Mariana Islands
Not allowed: Thailand

Contains chemical UV filtersDiscontinued

Coppertone Clearly Sheer Whipped Sunscreen SPF 50 is not allowed in any of the 9 places with a sunscreen law that we track. It used five chemical UV filters: avobenzone 3%, homosalate 10%, octisalate 4.5%, octocrylene 4% and oxybenzone 6%. It was a body sunscreen spray made by Coppertone (Beiersdorf Inc.) and was water resistant for up to 80 minutes. It has been discontinued, but is kept here for reference.

SPF50

Water resistance80 min

Formatspray aerosol

Typebody

Where Coppertone Clearly Sheer Whipped Sunscreen SPF 50 is allowed

Location	Verdict	Why
Hawaii (statewide)	Not allowed	Oxybenzone: banned by name.
Maui County (Maui, Molokaʻi, Lānaʻi)	Not allowed	Avobenzone, homosalate, octisalate, octocrylene and oxybenzone: not permitted actives (mineral only).
Hawaiʻi County (Big Island)	Not allowed	Avobenzone, homosalate, octisalate, octocrylene and oxybenzone: not permitted actives (mineral only).
U.S. Virgin Islands	Not allowed	Oxybenzone and octocrylene: banned by name.
Palau	Not allowed	Oxybenzone, octocrylene, avobenzone, homosalate and octisalate: banned by name.
Aruba	Not allowed	Oxybenzone: banned by name.
Guam	Not allowed	Oxybenzone and octocrylene: banned by name.
Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI)	Not allowed	Oxybenzone: banned by name.
Thailand (all national parks)	Not allowed	Oxybenzone: banned by name.

Guidance and repealed rules (4)

Mexico: federal marine protected areas (e.g., Isla Mujeres, Punta Cancún & Punta Nizuc)	Against guidance	Avobenzone, homosalate, octisalate, octocrylene and oxybenzone: not mineral actives.
Bonaire (Bonaire National Marine Park)	Against guidance	Oxybenzone: on the avoid list.
U.S. National Parks with coral reefs (NPS guidance)	Against guidance	Oxybenzone and avobenzone: on the avoid list. Homosalate, octisalate and octocrylene: not mineral actives.
Key West, Florida	No rule in force	Oxybenzone: banned by name.

Coppertone Clearly Sheer Whipped Sunscreen SPF 50 active ingredients

Ingredient	Amount	Type
Avobenzone	3%	Chemical
Homosalate	10%	Chemical
Octisalate	4.5%	Chemical
Octocrylene	4%	Chemical
Oxybenzone	6%	Chemical

Coppertone Clearly Sheer Whipped Sunscreen SPF 50 inactive ingredients

Water, Aluminum Starch Octenylsuccinate, Behenyl Alcohol, Glycerin, Styrene/Acrylates Copolymer, Dicaprylyl Ether, Microcrystalline Cellulose, Glyceryl Stearate, Cetyl Alcohol, Benzyl Alcohol, Butylated PVP, Palmitic Acid, Stearic Acid, Myristyl Alcohol, Chlorphenesin, Tocopherol (Vitamin E), Cellulose Gum, Lecithin, Disodium EDTA, Lauryl Alcohol, Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Fragrance, Nitrous Oxide

Highlighted ingredients are regulated somewhere; red ones are restricted in at least one location we track. Dotted ones are listed below.

Fragrance allergens, essential oils and alcohol

Fragrance allergens on the EU list: Benzyl Alcohol (Benzyl Alcohol: The EU label rule applies when it is used as a fragrance. In sunscreens it is often a preservative.)
Fragrance: listed as “Fragrance”. US labels don’t have to name the allergens inside a fragrance, so there may be more than this list shows.

The EU requires these allergens to be named on cosmetic labels above 0.001% in leave-on products (Regulation 1223/2009, Annex III). They can cause skin reactions in people who are sensitized; they don’t affect whether a sunscreen is legal anywhere we track.

Note: Discontinued: an older Coppertone product filed by Bayer HealthCare LLC (the pre-Beiersdorf labeler); it is not on coppertone.com, not in DailyMed search results and not in the current FDA NDC directory. Actives and inactive list (label order) were taken from its archived FDA-filed label, which still renders on DailyMed: SPL set ID 40cb7088-09c8-011f-e054-00144ff88e88, label version effective 2019-07-29. Contains oxybenzone. Whipped mousse dispensed from an aerosol can (nitrous oxide propellant); recorded as spray-aerosol. Its label images carry no transcribed panel text, so broad spectrum status and size could not be confirmed from the filed text.

Common questions about Coppertone Clearly Sheer Whipped Sunscreen SPF 50

Is Coppertone Clearly Sheer Whipped Sunscreen SPF 50 reef safe?

“Reef safe” isn’t a regulated label claim, so we answer by law instead. It is not allowed in any of the 9 places with a sunscreen law that we track.

Is Coppertone Clearly Sheer Whipped Sunscreen SPF 50 legal in Hawaii?

Under Hawaii’s statewide law (Act 104, which bans oxybenzone and octinoxate) it is not allowed because it contains oxybenzone. In Maui County (Maui, Molokaʻi, Lānaʻi), which allows only mineral sunscreens, it is not allowed because it contains avobenzone, homosalate, octisalate, octocrylene and oxybenzone, and Maui’s rule covers using it there, not just selling it. In Hawaiʻi County (the Big Island), which has a mineral-only rule for sales, it is not allowed. Oʻahu and Kauaʻi have no county rule, so only the statewide law applies there.

Where is Coppertone Clearly Sheer Whipped Sunscreen SPF 50 not allowed?

Hawaii statewide: it contains oxybenzone, which is not allowed there. Maui County: it contains avobenzone, homosalate, octisalate, octocrylene and oxybenzone, which are not allowed there. Hawaiʻi County (Big Island): it contains avobenzone, homosalate, octisalate, octocrylene and oxybenzone, which are not allowed there. The U.S. Virgin Islands: it contains oxybenzone and octocrylene, which are not allowed there. Palau: it contains oxybenzone, octocrylene, avobenzone, homosalate and octisalate, which are not allowed there. Aruba: it contains oxybenzone, which is not allowed there. Guam: it contains oxybenzone and octocrylene, which are not allowed there. The Northern Mariana Islands: it contains oxybenzone, which is not allowed there. Thailand's national parks: it contains oxybenzone, which is not allowed there.

Does Coppertone Clearly Sheer Whipped Sunscreen SPF 50 contain oxybenzone?

Yes. It contains oxybenzone 6%. Oxybenzone and octinoxate are banned in Hawaii and most other places with a sunscreen law.

Is Coppertone Clearly Sheer Whipped Sunscreen SPF 50 a mineral or chemical sunscreen?

Chemical. Its UV filters are avobenzone 3%, homosalate 10%, octisalate 4.5%, octocrylene 4% and oxybenzone 6%.

Is Coppertone Clearly Sheer Whipped Sunscreen SPF 50 water resistant?

Yes, for up to 80 minutes of swimming or sweating, according to its label. Reapply after 80 minutes in the water, immediately after towel drying, and at least every 2 hours.

Alternatives to Coppertone Clearly Sheer Whipped Sunscreen SPF 50 for Hawaii statewide, Maui County, Hawaiʻi County (Big Island), the U.S. Virgin Islands, Palau, Aruba, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands and Thailand's national parks

Mineral sunscreens from other brands, allowed in all 9 places, ranked by label: water resistance, SPF 30–50, broad spectrum, no listed fragrance. How we rank