We first focused on addressing the negative influences of the sunscreen industry, with so many brands mass-producing sunscreen with harmful chemicals and some brands falsely claiming to be reef-friendly. We discovered that very few brands could genuinely claim to be reef-safe. One of these brands was Stream2Sea who were already producing a high-quality sunscreen that didn’t cause damage to coral. We proposed to them that we could go much further and create something with the potential for real and lasting change.

In terms of regulation, we formulated Reef Relief to be ‘Haereticus Protect Land + Sea Certified’, and ensured that it was patch-tested by experts Bionok. We then went into 6 months of rigorous coral testing in association with the University of Derby, supervised by leading coral scientist and Marine Advisor to the United Nations, Professor Michael Sweet.

Our spend to date on the project is around £280K

Over 80% of sunscreen brands contain chemicals that bleach and kill coral. Only a few brands have removed harmful chemicals and others falsely claim to be ‘reef-safe’. So we came up with an idea that could genuinely help turn the tide on coral bleaching.

Reef Relief is the world’s first sunscreen that’s not only reef-safe (all harmful chemicals removed) – it’s proven to actually feed and nourish coral. No sunscreen has ever done this. We worked with Stream2Sea to create a new, fully reef-safe formula with an added unique blend of nutrients that coral naturally feeds on.

After a soft launch which saw huge global support, we extensively tested Reef Relief on coral, led by United Nations marine advisor Professor Michael Sweet. We have also created a whole new certification/classification marque that we hope someday all sunscreens will have to carry. Not just SPF, but RPF – Reef Protection Factor.

Every year millions of tourists flock to coral beaches during the holidays applying sunscreen to protect themselves from the sun. What the majority don't know is just how lethal that sunscreen is to the very coral they come to see, with some chemicals like Oxybenzone (found in over 80% of sunscreens) having an  EWG rating of 8 on their toxicity rating scale, meaning it is one of the most toxic ingredients found in cosmetic products, to both humans and coral.

Which led us to our approach of turning one of coral's biggest threats into its solution. To do this we gathered as much research and data as we could about the current coral and sunscreen brand climate. We then decided which sunscreen brand to partner with (Stream2Sea) and also looked at how coral farms and marine activists were safely growing and nurturing healthy coral.

Reef Relief is the world’s first sunscreen designed and proven to promote healthy growth in coral. When washed off the body into sea-water, it will help – rather than harm – coral. All harmful chemicals found in most sunscreens have been removed. And – the real difference – a unique blend of nutrients that coral naturally feeds on has been added.

Our base formula is an eco-cert-compliant mineral-based sunscreen that has been tested and proven safe for freshwater fish, saltwater fish and coral larvae and has passed the stringent HEL Labs Protect Land + Sea Certification. We then added a bespoke, FDA-compliant trace mineral blend made from marine nutrients used by coral farmers to boost healthy growth.

We also created a new classification marque, RPF (Reef Protection Factor) with the aim of tourism boards and governments encouraging and eventually requiring sunscreens used on their coastlines to carry the RPF marque.

Long-term outcomes:

We’re in talks with Australian, Egyptian and Vanuatuan government and tourism, to launch in their territories. We’re looking for as many global partners as possible.

Scalability:

This is a hugely scalable idea and we’ve only just begun. With more support, PR and client partners over the coming months we hope to grow significantly. A big multiplier for scalability is the RPF marque, which can extend to all other sunscreen brands globally.

Value for consumer/brand:

Reef Relief is the world’s first sunscreen that feeds coral instead of harming it.

RPF is the first coral-related certification marque for sunscreens - vital because the term ‘reef-safe’ is highly unregulated in the industry.

Product Impact:

University of Derby coral testing showed healthy growth by as high as 8% in some species.

Brand Impact:

In a 2-week soft launch:

583,671 Social interactions in first 48 hours

1.2 billion reach

711 publications worldwide.