Protect Land and Sea Certification

Stream2Sea Sunscreen SPF 30 is Protect Land + Sea Certified!

We Scored 0% on the HEL List!

Microplastic: Any form of microplastic sphere or beads. Results: 0%

Oxybenzone: An effective UV absorber. Causes coral bleaching. Results: 0%

Nanoparticles: Any nanoparticles like zinc oxide or titanium dioxide. Results: 0%

Octinoxate: A common UV filter. An endocrine disruptor and responsible for coral bleaching. Results: 0%

Para-aminobenzoic acid (PABA): Results: 0%

Enzacamene/Camphor: Also known as 4-methylbenzylidene camphor, is a human endocrine disruptor. Results: 0%

Octocrylene: Wildlife and environmental toxicity. Results: 0%

Triclosan: An antibacterial and antimicrobial chemical. Results: 0%

Parabens: Methyl, Ethyl, Propyl, Butyl and Benzyl Parabens Results: 0%

The above items make up the Haereticus Environmental Lab (HEL) list of chemicals to avoid. Stream2Sea SPF30 Sunscreen—the only mineral sunscreen tested not to harm coral larvae—has passed the stringent testing of HEL labs!

Here’s Why It Is Important to You

Why PL+S?

Haereticus Environmental Lab created the Protect Land + Sea (PL+S) certification because selecting a reef-safer sunscreen is more challenging than it should be. HEL is a non-profit, scientific organization whose mission is to conserve wildlife and ecosystems. If a product wears the Protect Land + Sea Certification Seal, consumers, park rangers, and businesses can rest assured that a product does not contain ingredients that may be harmful environmental pollutants.

“Without a legal definition, consumers are being misled into purchasing products that contain ingredients proven to be damaging in aquatic ecosystems,” Craig Downs, PhD, executive director of Haereticus Environmental Lab (HEL).

What is the HEL List?

The HEL LIST is a list of chemicals that are known pollutants in many different environments (freshwater streams, river, beaches, and ocean systems) or wildlife (e.g., corals, fish, birds, marine mammals, sea turtles), which pose a threat to ecosystem health.

In Protect Land + Sea Certification program, they don’t ask the manufacturer to verify or certify that their product is pure of HEL List chemicals and ingredients, as many other programs do. Instead, the entire product is put to the test – chemical analysis testing under “forensic” methodology. They then vet the products to be free of HEL List ingredients that may act as environmental pollutants.

"I’m not surprised that Stream2Sea has achieved Haereticus Environmental Laboratory’s Protect Land & Sea Certification...

that represents the gold-standard for a sunscreen that is non-toxic to coral reefs. Steam2Sea’s leadership insists on scientifically rigorous testing of their ingredients and that’s why I use only their products at home and in the field” – Samantha Whitcraft, marine biologist and Director of Conservation and Outreach, the Sea of Change Foundation.

Testing The Final Product

The chemicals on the HEL LIST, besides having acute and direct toxicity to an animal or plant (meaning it can readily kill them or result in obvious harm) are also poisons called “endocrine disruptors.” Endocrine disruptors don’t kill outright, but are a “slow” and “hard to perceive” poison that can affect humans, other animals and plants!

Many manufacturers don’t want these poisons in their products, but sometimes, they find a way into the product through contamination from the source (e.g., parabens used as preservatives in glycerol, camphors in fragrances). Most manufacturers don’t have the ability to test their source ingredients for every single chemical – it is impossible.

The Protect Land + Sea Certification (PL+S) is different from other certification programs, such as Organic, Fairtrade, etc. These certifications ask the manufacturers to commit to abiding by their criteria of not using certain ingredients. PL+S Certified Products, on the other hand, are independently tested by Haereticus Environmental Laboratory (HEL) to ensure the final product DO NOT CONTAIN anything on the HEL LIST.

Stream2Sea is proud that our SPF30 Sunscreen has been certified with the prestigious Protect Land + Sea Certification with 0% of the chemicals on the HEL List.

No matter how the chemicals on the HEL LIST can get into a product, Stream2Sea’s PL+S CERTIFIED products DO NOT CONTAIN any chemical on the HEL LIST.