LANI & KAI

Starting in April, Hawai’i and wahine owned, Lani & Kai sunscreen will be available at Local Motion! In January of this year, Hawai’i became the first state in the US to ban key reef and human toxic chemical sunscreen ingredients, oxybenzone and octinoxate from shelves. How much should you care? A single drop of chemical sunscreen in 6.5 olympics sized swimming pools is enough to change the DNA structure of coral and kill it. When you think about the over 160 million sunscreen bottles sold annually in the US, most of which being chemical, we have a lot of ground to cover!

Chemical sunscreens are laden with hormone altering chemicals in coral AND humans

Chemical sunscreens work by penetrating into top layers of skin and turning the sun’s harmful rays into heat. This would be fine, except the CDC actually found key sunscreen chemical oxybenzone in 97% of American’s bloodstreams. These sunscreens contain some of the most disruptive toxins pumping excess hormones into the body, causing allergic reactions, and hot flashes. While canning oxybenzone and octinoxate is a good start, they’re just the tip of the iceberg. 

To truly make a difference you need to flip your bottles and read your ingredients. Homosalate is a known endocrine disruptor, and avobenzone and octisalate are proven skin allergens.

Mineral sunscreens are physical barriers sitting on top of skin to block harmful rays

Mineral sunscreens are made without hormone and reef disturbing chemicals. Non-nano zinc oxide and titanium dioxide sit on the top of skin to block sun rays, that means no entering the bloodstream, no skin disruptions, no hormones, ever. While they may take a few more seconds to rub in, protection starts immediately - no 15 minute wait times like chemical ‘screen

Forming a reef-safe sunscreen line made for the islands

Lani & Kai’s sustainable sunscreen line has been a year in the making. After developing a zinc-based, clean mineral formula, the eco-friendly brand borrowed from baby foods and created an eco, resealable soft pack eliminating 60% of non-recyclable plastics from traditional sunscreen bottles. Lani & Kai is travel sized, safe for Hawai’i’s reefs, and has a silky matte texture to die for. Pocket and sports bra sized, their portable packs are perfect for a full day of morning mauka hikes to sunset sessions. Save our reefs, mālama i ke kai.