There are moments in ocean conservation that stop us in our tracks.

At the end of 2025, beaches in the U.S. Virgin Islands told a heartbreaking story: hundreds of sea fans, sponges, and corals washed ashore after a significant coral die-off event. These were once-living reef organisms, critical to the health of an ecosystem that supports fisheries, tourism, shoreline protection, and biodiversity.

Scientific reports point to elevated ocean temperatures as a primary driver of this event and previous ones like it. Prolonged marine heat stress can overwhelm corals, disrupting the delicate symbiosis that keeps them alive. When that balance breaks, coral bleaching, disease, and mortality can follow.

This is the reality of climate change in our oceans, and it is deeply alarming.

But this is not the whole story.

The Threat Is Real, but So Is the Opportunity

Coral reefs are resilient by nature. Given the chance, they can recover. What they need most is a reduction in the cumulative stressors we can control.

We cannot single-handedly cool the ocean overnight. But we can reduce local impacts that make heat stress more deadly: chemical pollution, poor water quality, and toxic ingredients that enter the sea every time we swim, shower, or rinse off our gear.

This is where our choices become powerful. Every product that goes on our bodies eventually goes down the drain… or directly into the ocean. And while sunscreen pollution is only one piece of a much larger puzzle, it is a piece we can immediately address.

A Message of Hope from St. John

In the midst of this challenging news, we are encouraged by action on the ground.

On the island of St. John, local partners are actively working to protect the waters that make this place so extraordinary.

The National Park System and Cinnamon Bay Campground are supporting reef protection efforts by offering Stream2Sea Coral Care to visitors.

Adrian Davis, Managing Director at Cinnamon Bay, says: “We strive to make the best environmental choices we can. We prioritize selling organic cotton shirts, beach towels, coverups and accessories as well as recycled and recyclable products. We also proudly sell Stream2Sea Sun Protection, Body and Hair Care products. The Shampoo and Body Wash is provided in our bath houses for overnight guests. It costs us more than other options but is worth it in quality and the safety it provides our guests and our environment. The partnership with Stream2Sea means we don't have to worry if we are doing the right thing, their passion and their mission is one we are thankful to be a part of.”

This matters. When safer sunscreen options are easy to find, especially in sensitive marine environments, people are empowered to make better choices: to protect their bodies AND our waters.

What Makes Coral Care Different

We created Coral Care for moments just like this.

It is the world’s first sunscreen formulated not merely to avoid harm, but to actively support coral health. Made in collaboration with the University of Derby which excels in marine science and developed its rigorous test protocol, Coral Care contains nutrients used by coral farmers to help reefs thrive. During the testing, it was found to boost healthy growth by as high as 29% in some species of coral.

At the same time, it meets our high standards for our bodies and aquatic safety:

• Mineral-based UV protection
• Tested and proven safer for marine life
• Readily biodegradable in fresh and saltwater
• Formulated without ingredients known to contribute to coral bleaching or aquatic toxicity

We believe Coral Care is a meaningful step forward: a way to reduce avoidable harm while we fight the larger battle for our ocean.

Why Retailers Matter More Than Ever

Access is everything. Visitors often want to do the right thing, but misleading labels and false “reef safe” claims make it hard to know which products are actually safer for marine life. 

That’s why safer sunscreen retailers, especially those located in or near vulnerable ecosystems, play a critical role. By choosing products that are third-party tested and proven, transparent, and held to higher environmental standards, retailers become part of the solution.

They help protect:

• Reefs already stressed by warming waters
• Local economies that depend on healthy marine ecosystems
• Future generations who deserve thriving oceans

Turning Concern into Action

Hope lives in science, in stewardship, and in everyday choices that add up to positive change. It lives in communities that care deeply for their waters, and in partners who make reef-safer options accessible where they matter most.

If we want to continue swimming, snorkeling, and exploring extraordinary places, we must also commit to protecting them - because all streams lead to the sea.