Hawaii's 2025 Law Puts Free Mineral Sunscreen Dispensers at State Beaches
Heading to Hawaii? The state is now installing free reef-safe mineral sunscreen at beaches — so there's no excuse, or extra cost, to comply.
Hawaii's SB840, effective July 1, 2025, lets the Department of Land and Natural Resources partner with hotels and nonprofits to install and maintain mineral-based sunscreen dispensers at all state beaches, and appropriates $100,000 per year for FY2025-26 and FY2026-27 to publicize that mineral sunscreen is more protective of coral reefs.
State lawmakers framed the dispenser program as a public-health and reef-conservation measure, pairing access to mineral sunscreen with outreach so visitors understand why reef-protective formulas are encouraged.
Questions we get a lot
Will Hawaii really give out free sunscreen at beaches in 2025?
Hawaii's SB840, effective July 1, 2025, authorizes the Department of Land and Natural Resources to partner with hotels and nonprofits to install and maintain mineral-sunscreen dispensers at all state beaches. Actual rollout depends on those partnerships and maintenance, so availability will vary by location and over time. The law also funds public outreach about reef-protective sunscreen.
Why does the dispensed sunscreen have to be mineral?
The law specifically funds mineral-based sunscreen and outreach explaining that it is more protective of coral reefs, aligning with Hawaii's broader restrictions on certain chemical UV filters. Mineral formulas use zinc oxide and/or titanium dioxide as the active ingredients. The dispenser program reinforces the message that reef-protective products are encouraged in Hawaiian waters.
r/Hawaii: "Will there really be free sunscreen at the beaches now, and is it the mineral kind?"