Use Our Sunscreen Ingredient Checker

Copy and paste your ingredient lists into our tool below to instantly determine whether the sunscreens you consider are reef-safe. Conscious Bunny’s Sunscreen Ingredient Checker will provide valuable insights, letting you know if the product is reef-friendly, 100% reef-safe, or contains ingredients banned by Hawaii or chemicals on the HEL List.

  • Reef-friendly: no oxybenzone and octinoxate.
  • Reef-safe: no oxybenzone, octinoxate, 4-methylbenzylidene camphor, octocrylene, para-aminobenzoic acid, PABA, methyl paraben, ethyl paraben, propyl paraben, butyl paraben, benzyl paraben, triclosan, homosalate, octisalate, butyloctyl salicylic acid, propylparaben, nylon-6, nylon-10, nylon-11, nylon-12, orgasol, polyester-8, polyester-25, nylon glitters, polyester glitters, HDI/trimethylol hexyllactone crosspolymers, polycarolactones, polyethylene powders, polyethylene fibers.

I decided to differentiate the terms reef-safe and reef-friendly in the results of the Sunscreen Ingredient Checker. My main reason is that some people may find banning oxybenzone and octinoxate enough, while others may want to go the extra mile. Both decisions are respected!

What Ingredients Would You Like To Check?

How To Use

To use the Sunscreen Ingredient Checker, follow these steps:

  1. Enter the list of ingredients in the field above. Add just one ingredient list at a time for the best results.
  2. Click the “Check Ingredients” button. You will immediately see whether your product is reef-friendly, reef-safe, or contains chemicals that harm the ocean and marine life. If it does, it will share the culprit ingredients.
  3. Click the “Clear” button to remove results and add a new ingredient list.
Sunscreen Ingredient Checker

What Makes A Sunscreen Reef-Safe?

Generally, when you see a product labeled reef-safe, it implies that it does not contain certain harmful chemicals known to contribute to coral reef degradation. Oxybenzone and octinoxate are especially harmful, as studies have linked them to coral bleaching and other detrimental effects on marine life. This is also why Hawaii has banned sunscreens containing these chemicals to protect coral reefs.

Look for sunscreens that use minerals like zinc oxide or titanium dioxide in non-nano form, as these are less likely to harm aquatic ecosystems. For more information, check out our very detailed article what makes a sunscreen reef-safe.

Reef-Safe VS. Reef-Friendly: Are There Differences?

Since the terms reef-safe and reef-friendly aren’t regulated, brands can use different terms to describe their stance, making it difficult to understand their position. I’ve seen brands using the terms to mean the same thing but also making a difference between the two.

In most cases, reef-friendly sunscreen doesn’t contain oxybenzone and octinoxate. However, these sunscreens may still contain chemicals. Although these chemicals are usually less harmful, they can still harm the ocean and marine life (and sometimes even our own health).

Reef-safe sunscreens don’t contain oxybenzone, octinoxate, or any other chemicals (for example, the ingredients on the HEL list). They are free of harmful ingredients and fully safe.

Again, brands use reef-friendly and reef-safe ingredients intertwined (even Safe The Reef does), so if being fully reef-safe is important to you, some ingredient research is required. You can also use our checker to get the easiest and quickest results.

I decided to differentiate the two in the results of the Sunscreen Ingredient Checker. My main reason is that some people may find banning oxybenzone and octinoxate enough, while others may want to go the extra mile. Both decisions are respected!

Looking for reef-safe sunscreens? I summed up the 15 best reef-safe sunscreens that protect you & the ocean.

FAQ

That’s no problem at all! We’ve made this Sunscreen Ingredient Checker as easy as possible so you don’t have to guess. We tell you when the product is safe and when a harmful chemical is found. Then, you decide whether to purchase it or not. That’s it!

The results are based on the Hawaii law that banned oxybenzone and octinoxate completely. On top of that, we also use the HEL List as our guideline, which is created by Haeretics Environmental Laboratory. HEL is a non-profit, scientific organization whose mission is to conserve wildlife and ecosystems. For over 10 years, they have conducted rigorous scientific and environmental investigations.

Moreover, we will frequently check for changes or additions to these lists and adjust the Sunscreen Ingredient Checker accordingly.

Besides our Sunscreen Ingredient Checker, we have created a Vegan Ingredient Checker, so it’s as easy as this checker to determine if your product is 100% vegan or contains animal-derived ingredients. We have also created a Clean Ingredients Checker that detects toxic ingredients in your products.