Ocean-Friendly Skin Care: The Stream2Sea Story

“All Streams Flow to the Sea” is not just a great proverb that informed the Stream2Sea brand name. It’s a guiding company principle. We know that in a very real way, all the products we use on our bodies and in our hair eventually make it to the ocean. This is important to us — our products didn’t become ocean-friendly by accident, after all.

It all started in Palau, on the deck of a live-aboard yacht in one of the most remote dive destinations in the world when our founder, avid diver and cosmetic chemist Autumn Blum, noticed a disconnect between the exploration of the coral reef, and the preservation of it. “The water was spectacular, and it was definitely the healthiest coral reef I had ever seen. After every dive, I would watch the other divers shower on the dive deck, washing their hair with commercial products, suds rinsing right overboard,” she said.

Knowing that the ingredients in many traditional skin and hair care products can contribute to coral bleaching and a host of other environmental harms, Blum set about creating products — and a company — that puts the health of marine life, and your families, first. This was not Blum’s first rodeo — she started Organix-South and the TheraNeem brand at 23, eventually selling to a publicly traded company — but it was a homecoming of sorts. Knowing that she wanted to continue making a difference in the effort to preserve the environment, Blum couldn’t wait to put her cosmetic chemistry and entrepreneurial skills to work to create products that are truly ocean-friendly.

The result is what you see now, a provider of reef-safe sunscreen, lotion, hair-care products, lip balms, and even sting relief. And the commitment to the environment doesn’t stop with the product ingredients; Stream2Sea packaging is made with sugarcane resin or recycled plastic, depending on size. Our new rash guards, made from rPET recycled fishing nets, help contribute to the reduction of ghost net pollution in the oceans.  

“I believe in the importance of creating a body care line that erases the line between ‘safe for the environment’ and ‘safe for your body,’” says Blum. Living up to this commitment, our products have been tested and proven reef-safe. We’re the only company that can say that, and we hope to lead the way for large-scale sunscreen safety changes and regulations.

Now, more than ever, it is of utmost importance to choose ocean-friendly products. Try our Palau and Hawaii-compliant sunscreens, or any of our other body care products, and know that you’re making a difference the environment will thank you for. Together, we can do better!