Over 14,000 tons of sunscreen wash off us and into our oceans every year. The problem? Over 80% of sunscreens contain chemicals that bleach and kill coral. Scientists estimate that if we don’t make sustainable changes 90% of the world’s reefs could be functionally extinct by 2030. Reef Relief is the world’s first sunscreen that’s not only reef-safe (harmful chemicals removed) it actively feeds and nourishes coral. No sunscreen has ever done this, and no skincare product proven to be as beneficial to coral as Reef Relief. We’ve also created a whole new certification – not just SPF, but RPF.

Coral reefs are one of our most important ecosystems, supporting more than 25% of marine life and one billion people worldwide. Our reefs are estimated to have a total global value of £6 trillion per year, because of their provision of food and medicine, contribution to tourism and the coastal protection they provide.

We know that coral reefs are under serious threat from climate change and pollution. But another danger to coral is the sunscreen we wear. While it protects us, when it washes off us in the sea it can be lethal to coral. Over 80% of sunscreens contain chemicals known to bleach and kill coral reefs, such as Oxybenzone, Benzophenone-1, Benzophenone-8, OD-PABA, 4-methylbenzylidene camphor, 3-Benzylidene camphor, nano-Titanium dioxide, nano-Zinc oxide, Octinoxate and Octocrylene.

While just a few, non-mainstream sunscreens have removed harmful chemicals, calling themselves ‘reef-safe’, we saw an opportunity to do much more.

So we turned one of coral's biggest threats into its solution.

Reef Relief is the world’s first sunscreen that feeds and nourishes coral.

We approached Stream2Sea with our idea as they’re a world-leader in ‘reef-safe’ products. And working with leading marine scientists and cosmetic technicians, we formulated a unique and unprecedented product that removed all harmful chemicals but also added a bespoke blend of nutrients that coral naturally feeds on.

Also, to address the issue of all other sunscreens that harm reefs, we created a whole new classification that hopefully one day all sunscreens will have to carry – RPF, or Reef Protection Factor.

According to the United Nations, approximately one billion people depend on coral reefs for their food and livelihoods. The absence of corals would have a catastrophic effect on hundreds of millions of people around the world, who would lose their main source of food and income. Stream2Sea are world leaders in reef-safe sunscreen. When we approached them about not just being neutral toward reefs but actually working together to create a solution to better the health of coral and feed them to reverse decline, this was a major part of their brand objectives of being a world-changing sunscreen brand created by cosmetic chemists and ocean activists. After creating our unique reef positive formula, we went into extensive testing of Reef Relief on coral. This testing was led by United Nations marine advisor Professor Michael Sweet, who took a great interest in how something could be turned from a negative to a positive, for the future of our coral reefs.

We first focused on addressing the negative influences of the sunscreen industry, with so many brands mass-producing sunscreen with harmful chemicals and some 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 positive change.

We formulated Reef Relief to be ‘Haereticus Protect Land + Sea Certified’, and ensured 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.

We soft-launched in 2023 and following successful coral testing are in discussions with global government/tourism partners.

Oxybenzone, found in over 80% of sunscreens is lethal to coral. In fact, just 0.14 milligrams per litre is enough to kill coral larvae, yet as much as 1.4 milligrams have been found in reefs near popular tourist destinations. Many countries and nations are now becoming more aware of the dangers of sunscreen, some islands like Hawaii are even banning them if they contain certain chemicals, in the hopes of preserving precious but fragile reefs. A big problem is that the term 'reef-safe' is currently an unregulated term, with many sunscreens falsely claiming to be reef-safe. This is what makes Reef Relief and our RPF certification so culturally significant; people no longer have to choose between protecting their skin or our oceans. And eventually they'll just need to keep an eye out for whether their sunscreen has the RPF marque or not, to know if it truly helps coral.

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.

Development goals:

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.

Behaviour change/action:

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 results:

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

Awareness:

In a 2-week soft launch:

583,671 Social interactions in first 48 hours

1.2 billion reach

711 publications worldwide.

Reef Relief is the world's first sunscreen that nourishes coral reefs and the first to carry our new RPF certification. However it is our hope that once more brands see the benefits of Reef Protection Factor, we will eventually see more coral positive sunscreens available to the public, containing our coral-nourishing formula and carrying our marque.

Our plan to scale the idea involves partnering with as many government and tourism boards globally as possible. We are currently in partnership talks with the Marine Authority of the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, and the Egyptian and Vanuatuan government and tourism boards, with more talks with others planned. We also intend to partner with conservation charities. The more partners, the more we can feed into the health and wellness of our oceans.

Our travel has been kept to an absolute minimum and all production materials are sustainable where possible. eg. The tubes of our packaging are made from sustainable sugar cane resin.