At Stream2Sea, we’ve always believed that “reef-safer” wasn’t a final destination. With Coral Care, we’ve taken the next leap: creating the world’s first sunscreen scientifically proven to actually nourish coral reefs.
This makes Coral Care actively reef-positive—an innovation that’s a net good for our reefs.
Why Coral Care? The Need for More Than "Safe"
In a world where over 80% of sunscreens contain reef-damaging chemicals like oxybenzone and octinoxate, the term “reef-safe” has unfortunately become a murky marketing claim rather than a scientific standard. Even many so-called "reef-safe" sunscreens contain nano particles or other harmful ingredients.
Stream2Sea was one of the first brands certified by the Haereticus Environmental Lab to be as safe as possible for freshwater fish, saltwater fish and coral larvae. But we asked ourselves a deeper question:
“What if we could go beyond “safe”? What if we could create a sunscreen that actually helps corals thrive?”
That question led to the innovation that is Coral Care.
The Science Behind the World's First Reef-Positive Sunscreen
Working in partnership with multi-award winning marine biologist Professor Michael Sweet at the University of Derby in the UK and with our partners at McCann Global, we conducted a rigorous 16-week study to see what would happen if we gave coral a low-dose treatment of Coral Care sunscreen.
The results? Nothing short of revolutionary. In our experiments, we saw the Galaxy Coral (Galaxea fascicularis) show:
- 21% more horizontal growth
- 5% more vertical growth
- 8% higher wet weight
- 50% faster growth compared to the common brand of sunscreen we used as our control
Overall, we tested four coral species, with Galaxy Coral one of the stars of our trials. The coral fragments were fed, monitored, and measured in meticulously maintained saltwater tanks.
The active UV filter in Coral Care? 8.8% non-nano titanium dioxide—the same reef-safer ingredient we’ve always used. But this time, we enriched the formula with our proprietary coral nutrients, designed to actively promote growth rather than just avoid harm.
This is why Coral Care is able to carry the new RPF certification: Reef Protection Factor. Right now it’s just on our Coral Care product range, but in the future we hope other brands will use this certification as proof of their intentions toward coral safety and regeneration, distinguishing them from all the sunscreen products out there that claim to be ‘reef-safe’— but aren’t.
View the Science behind our products here.
Coral Care Is Built on a Legacy of Testing and Trust
Since our inception, we’ve insisted on the highest scientific standards. Professors at Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Florida (founder Autumn’s alma mater) developed the world’s first-ever studies to show that our products are safe for marine life, including coral larvae.
Our testing is so thorough because terms like “natural” and “biodegradable” aren’t enough: just because a product breaks down doesn’t mean it’s safe. That’s why we’ve been leading the charge for real Reef Safer™ standards: tested, proven, and transparent.
Coral Care is the same high-performance, water-resistant formula you know from Stream2Sea—but with coral-positive added nutrients.
- SPF 30 Broad Spectrum Protection
- Water Resistant
- Certified USDA Biobased
- Protect Land + Sea Certified
- Benzene-free and Non-nano
Join the Reef-Positive Movement
Coral Care represents the future of ocean-friendly skincare. Why not spread the word on the importance of nourishing our reefs, and try Coral Care for yourself to help them grow strong.
“We started Stream2Sea to protect what we love. With Coral Care, we’ve gone beyond “reef-safer” to create a net-positive product for coral health. It’s our gift back to the ocean that has given us so much.”
— Autumn Blum, Formulator & CEO