BOWLING GREEN, Fla. – Stream2Sea, the only mineral sunscreen manufacturer that has proven its products to be Reef-Safer™ for fish and vulnerable coral larva, is now one of only four manufacturers to have its sunscreens verified as safe, effective and transparent by the Environmental Working Group.  

“With so many companies ‘bluewashing’ reef-safe sunscreen, it’s very important to us to earn third-party verification on the safety of our products,” said Autumn Blum, founder and formulator for Stream2Sea. “We also were among the first companies to earn the Protect Land + Sea Certification from Haeretics Environmental Laboratory and have always ranked well on the EWG’s Skin Deep® database that assesses and lists the safety of sunscreens.” 

Another important point for the EWG Verification is their requirement that sunscreen protect against UVA rays – which are implicated in premature aging and skin cancer – as well as the UVB rays that cause sunburns. “Because consumers are so focused on the SPF, which only measures protection against the burning UVB rays, they’re potentially damaging their skin even if it never burns,” Blum said. 

Eight Stream2Sea sunscreen products are now EWG Verified with additional non-sunscreen products being assessed. The in-depth verification process covers the obvious list of ingredients, safety data sheets and third-party SPF information, but also looks at the sustainability of botanical ingredients with additional testing to ensure that those ingredients aren’t contaminated. 

“It was a complicated process but well worth it,” Blum said. “EWG Verified is a great start for consumers who are rightfully confused by the blue-washing claims on sunscreens with ingredients that have been proven toxic in aquatic ecosystems.” 

Consumers also are confused by recent reports from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration that the most commonly used sunscreen ingredients are no longer considered GRASE, or generally recognized as safe and effective, Blum said. “The FDA requested safety data on every sunscreen ingredient except the inorganic minerals in 2019, but chemical manufacturers have not sufficiently responded yet.” 

Blum, an award-winning cosmetic chemist with more than 25 years’ experience developing natural products, started Stream2Sea in 2015 specifically to develop sunscreens and other body care products that are safe in aquatic ecosystems. “Developing reef-safe products has been a learning curve for everyone who is seriously concerned about the blue planet – and their own health. Major manufacturers are blatantly mislabeling products and consumers are forced to read ingredient labels to tell what’s safe and what isn’t. The EWG Verified label offers an added level of confidence for consumers looking for products that are safe and effective.” 

More About Stream2Sea: The brand formulates and manufactures sunscreen and body products with our health and the planet’s health as their guiding force. Founder and CEO, Autumn Blum has made it her mission to help others understand what ingredients they put into their bodies and our delicate waterways.