HONOLULU (AP) - Whole Foods Market will no longer sell sunscreens and body products containing chemicals targeted by a new Hawaii law, officials said.
The Texas-based retailer will pull products containing oxybenzone and octinoxate, The Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported Thursday.
The measure is intended to help protect marine environments, including coral reefs, officials said.
The two chemicals, commonly found in sunscreens, are targeted by a Hawaii law that will go into effect in 2021.
Democratic Gov. David Ige signed a bill in 2018 making Hawaii the first state to ban the sale and distribution of over-the-counter sunscreens containing the two chemicals.
The measure became law in spite of opposition from retail and health representatives, the newspaper reported.
Whole Foods Market, which is owned by Amazon.com, Inc., has one store on Maui and three stores on Oahu.
Whole Foods banned oxybenzone from products in 2017, said Jen Coccaro, the company’s executive leader of Body Care & Lifestyle.
Oxybenzone is also listed by the ingredient name benzophenone-3, while oxtinoxate is also listed as octyl methoxycinnamate.
The city commission of Key West, Florida, passed a similar law in February.
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Information from: Honolulu Star-Advertiser, http://www.staradvertiser.com
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