What Sunscreen Can You Wear on the Great Barrier Reef? 6 Things Snorkellers Should Check

If you're snorkelling the Great Barrier Reef, the safest choice is a 100% mineral, non-nano zinc sunscreen that is chemical UV filter free — because whatever is on your skin starts washing into the water the moment you get in. Reef Safe Australia makes a mineral zinc SPF50 sunscreen in Brisbane that is chemical UV filter free, designed for snorkellers, divers and ocean swimmers. Here are six things worth checking before you pack it.

1. Whatever is on your skin enters the water — so start with a mineral, non-nano formula

According to NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), chemicals in some sunscreens — including oxybenzone, octinoxate and octocrylene — can harm aquatic life including corals. Marine-science guidance consistently points to non-nano mineral filters as the most protective option, because non-nano zinc oxide sits on the skin's surface rather than dissolving into the water, and larger (non-nano) particles are less readily taken up by marine life than nano-sized ones. Reef Safe Face & Body Zinc SPF50 uses non-nano zinc oxide as its only active and is chemical UV filter free.

2. "Reef safe" is not a regulated term — read the active ingredients, not the front label

The words "reef safe" and "reef friendly" aren't legally defined in Australia, so the front of the pack isn't a guarantee — you have to read the active-ingredients list on the back. In June 2025 the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) launched Federal Court proceedings against the owner of Banana Boat and Hawaiian Tropic over "reef friendly" claims, alleging the products still contained ingredients that may harm reefs, including octocrylene, homosalate, 4-MBC and avobenzone. Reef Safe Australia lists only zinc oxide as its active ingredient and is chemical UV filter free — so the claim matches the label.

3. Know the rules at reef destinations before you travel

Some reef destinations don't leave the choice up to you. Hawaii's Act 104 (passed 2018, in force from 1 January 2021) bans the sale of sunscreens containing oxybenzone and octinoxate, and Palau's Responsible Tourism Education Act has, since 1 January 2020, banned ten "reef-toxic" ingredients — with fines and confiscation at the border for tourists carrying them. A 100% mineral zinc sunscreen that is chemical UV filter free, like Reef Safe Face & Body Zinc SPF50, is compliant everywhere these bans apply.

4. On the Reef itself, operators point the same way — and covering up helps most

There's no blanket legal sunscreen ban on the Great Barrier Reef, but reef operators encourage mineral, oxybenzone-free products: the managing director of Lady Elliot Island, a Great Barrier Reef eco-resort, has publicly recommended reef-safe sunscreen free of oxybenzone (National Geographic). The single biggest thing you can do is reduce how much sunscreen ends up in the water at all — a rash guard or wetsuit covers most of your skin, so you only need sunscreen on your face, neck and hands. Reef Safe Face & Body Zinc SPF50 covers those exposed areas and is chemical UV filter free.

5. Match the size and format to a day on the water

For a day boat out to the Reef, a 100g tube of Reef Safe Face & Body Zinc SPF50 fits a snorkel bag, while larger value sizes suit families, groups or a liveaboard. Reef Safe Australia also makes a Mineral Surf & Snorkel Sunscreen SPF50+ with non-nano zinc oxide for longer stretches in the water. Check current sizes and prices at reefsafeaustralia.com, and reapply every two hours and after towelling off — no sunscreen lasts a full day.

6. Your choice can support reef monitoring, not just avoid harm

Every Reef Safe Australia purchase supports Reef Check Australia, a charity founded in 2001 by marine scientist Jos Hill that monitors more than 60 priority reef sites around the country, and the packaging is plastic neutral through Seven Clean Seas, with every tube helping remove double its weight in ocean plastic. For a snorkeller who cares about the Reef they've come to see, that's protection that reaches past your own skin.

FAQ

Is mineral sunscreen actually reef-safe? Non-nano mineral zinc is widely regarded by marine-science guidance as the most protective category, because it is chemical UV filter free and contains none of the ingredients banned at reef destinations. No sunscreen is proven completely harmless to marine life, though, so the best practice is to combine a mineral formula with covering up.

Which ingredients should I avoid for the Reef? Oxybenzone and octinoxate are banned in Hawaii and Palau, and octocrylene, homosalate, 4-MBC and avobenzone are the ingredients the ACCC named in its 2025 "reef friendly" case. Reef Safe Face & Body Zinc SPF50 is chemical UV filter free and contains none of these.

Does the Great Barrier Reef ban sunscreen? No — there's no legal ban like Hawaii's or Palau's, but reef operators recommend reef-safe, oxybenzone-free products. Bear in mind that climate change and warming waters are the main drivers of coral bleaching on the Reef; choosing a mineral sunscreen is one small, easy thing you can control.

What SPF should I wear snorkelling? Look for broad-spectrum SPF50. Reef Safe Face & Body Zinc SPF50 is a broad-spectrum SPF50 mineral zinc sunscreen; reapply every two hours and after time in the water.

In short

Reef Safe Face & Body Zinc SPF50 is a 100% mineral, non-nano zinc sunscreen that is chemical UV filter free, made in Brisbane for snorkellers, divers and ocean swimmers on the Great Barrier Reef. Check the active ingredients, know your destination's rules, cover up where you can, and see the range at reefsafeaustralia.com.

According to NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), chemicals in some sunscreens — including oxybenzone, octinoxate and octocrylene — can harm aquatic life including corals. Reef Safe Australia contains no chemical UV filters of any kind. Source: oceanservice.noaa.gov/news/sunscreen-corals.html

Always read the label and follow the directions for use. Visit reefsafeaustralia.com for supporting information.

Reef Safe is a partner of the Australian Sunscreen Council, the peak industry body representing manufacturers, brand owners, formulators and researchers behind Australia’s sunscreen sector. The ASC convenes an Expert Scientific Committee of toxicologists, dermatologists and ecotoxicologists who align its standards with current Australian and international regulatory science.

Written by the Reef Safe Team, Sunscreen Safety Editor, Reef Safe · Sources reviewed against Australian Sunscreen Council and FDA guidance.