Maui County Council member Kelly King applies sunscreen at an unveiling event of two sunscreen dispensers at Ahihi-Kina‘u Natural Area Reserve on Monday. Beginning Oct. 1, Maui County will only allow the sale of mineral sunscreens. It prohibits the sale or use of any chemical compounds currently in use as well as any new compounds created in the future, according to a news release. King introduced the bill. State Department of Land and Natural Resources photos

The Maui News

Mineral sunblock dispensers were unveiled on Monday on Maui’s South shore, encouraging all to “love the ocean the right way,” according to the state Department of Land and Natural Resources.

Two are at the Ahihi-Kina’u Natural Area Reserve and a pair are to be installed at Makena State Park. Thousands of people enter the ocean at these locations every day.

The dispensers hold non-nano, zinc, mineral sunscreen. Products with these active ingredients are safe for people and marine life because those elements already exist in sea water, according to a news release. Dermatologists say mineral-based products are the most effective protection for people, as they block out both UVB and UVA rays from the sun.

The Maui installations were inspired by a sunblock dispenser at Waialea Bay at Hapuna State Recreation Area on Hawaii island.

The Robert F. Orr Charitable Foundation through the Maui Nui Marine Resource Council, and with support from the State of Hawaii and County of Maui, helped with the placement of dispensers at the Maui beaches.

Raw Elements USA supplied the dispensers and product.

Kelli Lundgren, board member of the Robert F. Orr Charitable Foundation, decided Maui needed dispensers. “As a volunteer at Ahihi-Kina’u I’ve communicated with hundreds of visitors about the effectiveness and protection of mineral sunscreens. As people understand the mineral alternative and discover that sprays and bottles labeled ‘reef safe’ actually can be harmful, they wanted an alternative.”