NAPILI, MAUI, HAWAII—Napili Kai Beach Resort, located on one of Maui’s most beautiful reef-protected bays, has introduced an educational program to encourage visitors to use reef-safe sunscreens. In recent years, coral reefs throughout Hawaii and the world have shown damage and bleaching due to a variety of environmental factors, including poisoning from chemical sunscreen. Many common sunscreen ingredients can lower reef tolerance to bleaching and interrupt the development of marine life, including the coral itself, which is a living organism.
Starting in mid-December, Napili Kai now welcomes arriving guests with a free sample packet of Raw Elements reef-safe sunscreen, along with a discount coupon to purchase more and information about the damaging effects of chemical sunscreen on the reef ecosystem. In addition, the resort’s beach recreation staff members regularly walk the beach, providing information to beachgoers on the importance of examining their sunscreen ingredients.
Napili Bay is one of the most beautiful and scenic bays on Maui, with a crescent-shaped beach and a coral reef providing a haven for marine life—and excellent snorkeling. Napili Kai’s new campaign urges visitors to read the ingredients in sunscreen before purchasing. The resort provides a list of ingredients to avoid due to potential harm to the coral reef ecosystem, such as oxybenzone, avobenzone or avobenzine, octisalate, octocrylene, octinoxate, and homosalate. When choosing a sunscreen, opt for a mineral-based product such as zinc oxide or titanium dioxide in a fragrance-free natural base, rather than a chemical sunscreen or spray. Apply sunscreen at least 15 to 30 minutes before entering the water, so it has a chance to soak in—otherwise most it will wash away almost immediately in the water.
For more information on the effect of chemical sunscreens on Hawaii’s coral reefs, click here.
