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With Summer quickly approaching Hawaii beach trips are a TOP PRIORITY for locals and tourists! Seriously, what’s not to love about Hawaii?! Beautiful skies, amazing scenery, great locals, sandy beaches,and let’s not forget the crisp refreshing waters!
How do Hawaii beaches stay SO GORGEOUS?!
Well, for starters we LOVE our state, and we do WHATEVER we can to keep it so lovely here! But, sometimes we need a little kokua!
In May 2018, a bill was proposed to prohibit the sale of sunscreens containing harmful chemicals to save the coral reefs, this bill was signed into law in July 2018 and will become effective January 1, 2021!
Now, you may be asking yourself “What does this have to do with me?”
Well, everyone knows visiting the beaches is a given! While you’re out there sunscreen is an ABSOLUTE MUST to protect you and your keiki from the UV rays of the sun, and while most sunscreens are waterproof they contain some “not so anu” ingredients that have been proven to opala our reefs!
According to Oceanservice.noaa.gov: "Warmer water temperatures can result in coral bleaching. When water is too warm, corals will expel the algae (zooxanthellae) living in their tissues causing the coral to turn completely white. This is called coral bleaching. When a coral bleaches, it is not dead. Corals can survive a bleaching event, but they are under more stress and are subject to mortality".
Oxybenzone, octinoxate, methylbenzylidene along with others found in traditional sunscreens, are not easily removed by common wastewater treatment plant techniques. (says PubMed.gov)
With that being said, how do you know what sunscreen is safe? Here are a few things to keep in mind when planning your next ohana trip to the beach!
-Stay away from sunscreen that have petrolatum or "mineral oil", as it takes YEARS to break down and can be deadly to marine life!
-Steer clear from sunscreens that have a large amount of "Titanium Dioxide", this NEVER breaks down and when it comes into contact with warm seawater it creates hydrogen peroxide which in turn is damaging for all marine life!
-As stated above Oxybenzone and octinoxate are two of SEVERAL chemicals believed to trigger the harm to the reef and will be prohibited for sale in Hawaii.
Here are 10 sunscreens we have found that are "Reef Safe" for you and your keiki:
Banana Boat Simply Protect SPF 50+ (get it HERE)
Reef Safe Biodegradable SPF 50 (get it HERE)
Thinkbaby Safe Sunscreen SPF 50 (get it HERE)
All Good Kids sunscreen SPF 30 (get it HERE)
Goddess Garden Kids SPF 50 (get it HERE)
Sunblocz Baby&Kids SPF 50+ (get it HERE)
Alba Botanica (Kids) Tropical Fruit Clear Spray SPF 50 (get it HERE)
Little Hands Hawaii SPF 35+ (get it HERE)
Raw Love Sunscreen SPF 35 (get it HERE)
Kokua Sun Care Hawaiian SPF 50 (get it HERE)
Stay akamai when near open waters, and be sure to use plenty of “reef safe sunscreen” to protect you and your ohana!
*DISCLAIMER: Any reference in this website to any person, organization, activities, products or services related to such person or organization, on any linkages from this website to the website of another party, do not constitute or imply the endorsement, recommendation, or favoring.*
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