Coppertone vs Hawaiian Tropic 2024 (The Definitive Guide)

Stroll through the sunscreen aisle of your local beauty store and you’ll face a dizzying number of choices—two of the best brands that always stick out to us, though, are Coppertone and Hawaiian Tropic.

We’ll be comparing their best-sellers side-by-side so you can see which would suit you and your skin the best. Enjoy!

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Coppertone vs Hawaiian Tropic Sunscreen

If there is one skincare product that you must have all year round—especially in the summer—it’s sunscreen. SPF should be a part of your everyday skincare routine to protect the sensitive skin of your body and face from harmful UV rays.

Coppertone offers a host of incredibly popular sunscreens, however, our pick of the bunch is the Coppertone Sport Sunscreen Lotion. This is because the equally popular Ultra Guard Sunscreen Lotion contains oxybenzone (a skincare no-no).* Hawaiian Tropic similarly offers an incredible range of sunscreens. For this particular comparison we'll be comparing the Hawaiian Tropic Everyday Active Sunscreen Lotion.

*2024 update: The Coppertone Ultra Guard Sunscreen no longer seems to be available. In other news, Hawaiian Tropic's sunscreen now has a new look! The formula hasn't changed, but it's worth noting that there might be some packaging variation depending on your preferred retail store.

Expanding on the point regarding both offering broad-spectrum UVA/UVB protection, both sunscreens actually contain the same active ingredients for sun protection, varying only slightly in concentration. To be specific, they contain: Avobenzone, Homosalate, and Octocrylene (Coppertone's Sunscreen also contains Octisalate).

They both also contain Vitamin E which provides extra protection against acute UVB damage, and protects against cell mutation caused by sun exposure.

Where they begin to differ are their inactive ingredients lists. The Coppertone Sport Sunscreen formula contains several moisturizing agents such as Glycerin and Beeswax to condition the skin and keep skin "moisturized all day long" (their words, not ours).

Hawaiian Tropic Everyday Active Sunscreen Lotion instead contains several island-inspired botanicals like Papaya, Mango, Passion Fruit, Plumeria, Guava, and Aloe for the iconic Hawaiian Tropic scent, as well as their skin soothing and nourishing benefits.

With both boasting incredibly similar formulas, clocking in at around the same price per fluid ounce, and with it being a genuine struggle to find any real negative feedback about them anywhere online, it's incredibly difficult to separate the two. This is never a bad problem to have, though!

Whichever you choose—whether it be because of the nostalgic Coppertone or Hawaiian Tropic scent, or a preference in packaging—be confident in the fact that you are getting the absolute best of the best sun protection.

Coppertone Sport Sunscreen is available as a lotion, spray, stick, and lip balm as well as a mineral sunscreen.

Hawaiian Tropic Sport Sunscreen Lotion is available as a lotion and a spray.

Coppertone vs Hawaiian Tropic Tanning Lotion

Tanning lotions provide a means for achieving that radiant, deep summer tan without overexposing your skin to harmful UV rays from the sun. They are typically offered with a Sun Protection Factor of 15 or less, and are not strictly 'sunscreens' since they do not provide total protection from the sun.

Two of the best tanning lotions are: the Coppertone Tanning Sunscreen Lotion SPF 15 and the Hawaiian Tropic Island Tanning Lotion.

2024 update: Like the sunscreen, Hawaiian Tropic's tanning lotion has new packaging. It's a purely superficial change, though, in that the formula hasn't changed. They've just made their vegan/cruelty-free status more front and center.

When comparing the Coppertone Tanning Sunscreen Lotion with Coppertone's sport suncreen we reviewed above, there is practically zero difference in formula minus the fact that the tanning lotion has lower concentrations of the active ingredients and the packaging looks different. Of course, we loved Coppertone's sport sunscreen, so it should come as no surprise that we also love Coppertone's tanning lotion since they're so similar.

Drawing further parallels with the previous comparison, Coppertone's tanning sunscreen is also available as a spray (though it is not available as a mineral sunscreen).

Similarly, the Hawaiian Tropic Island Tanning Lotion also shares the majority of its ingredients list with the Hawaiian Tropic sunscreen we reviewed above. However, there are a couple of key differences that sets them apart. First and foremost, the Island Tanning Lotion includes Shea Butter and Cocoa Butter to nourish your skin with rich moisturization as you enjoy the sun. It also contains fewer active ingredients, containing only Avobenzone and Octocrylene

Supposedly the inclusion of Shea and Cocoa Butter helps to enhance your tan, too, but the only evidence we could find regarding this is anecdotal at best.

Again, it's incredibly difficult to choose between the two, especially considering their stellar ratings and reviews all over the internet. We're leaning a little more towards the Hawaiian Tropic Island Tanning Lotion (also available as an oil/spray) this time, though, since it is more than just a repackaged sunscreen, and actually boasts an impressively soothing and nourishing formula.

Coppertone Best-Sellers

For the best sun protection:
Try the ULTRA GUARD Sunscreen

For the face:
Try the Face Sunscreen

For kids:
Try the KIDS Sunscreen

Hawaiian Tropic Best-Sellers

For a matte finish:
Try the Sheer Touch Sunscreen

For after sun:
Try the After Sun Moisturizer

For the best sun protection:
Try the Silk Hydration Sunscreen

Work in progress

You have been reading a post that we are constantly updating. Be sure to bookmark this page, subscribe, and come back later to see additions to the definitive Coppertone vs Hawaiian Tropic guide!

This article was originally published on May 24th 2022, but it has been reviewed and updated with the latest available information on February 6th 2024 by Sara Mckay, MA.