Inland Ocean Ambassador Writes on Reef-Safer Sunscreens
Summertime is the season for sunshine and beach days — take advantage of the warm weather and get out and play! Of course we know the sun is strong, and we have to protect our skin from intense UV rays.
At Inland Ocean Coalition, we promote seeking safety from the sun in ways that won’t cause harm to our aquatic environments! Take it from Nicole Castilla, graduate from our Spring 2025 Inland Ocean Ambassador Cohort and Marketing Director of Seaside Sustainability.
Being Florida-based, Nicole knows the importance of safer sunscreens, especially for the important habitat of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, home to the only coral barrier reef living in the continental US. Read Nicole’s blog for the Youth Environmental Alliance, a nonprofit based in south Florida supporting educational and conservation programs for the young and young at heart. In the article, she explains all about sunscreens and their impact on the environment.
As she writes: There are hundreds of different kinds and brands of sunscreen out there, but did you know some can actually greatly damage the ocean’s reefs (and you too)? Many brands of sunscreen contain harmful chemicals and ingredients that are toxic to both the ocean and humans. Although some sunscreens are labeled as “reef friendly,” that does not always equate to being reef safe. The only way to truly know if a sunscreen is in fact reef safe is by looking at the active ingredients list, which can usually be found on the back of the bottle.
Nicole even gives a shoutout to one of IOC’s favorite sunscreen brands, Stream2Sea! Use code Inland20 when you purchase and kick back a portion of your total towards supporting Inland Ocean Coalition programming.
Nicole Castilla is an Inland Ocean Ambassador, marine biologist, and science content creator based in South Florida. A certified Florida Master Naturalist, Nicole has a strong passion for ocean conservation, especially sea turtle protection and coral reef restoration. She currently works in marketing management for Seaside Sustainability and in science communication for the Youth Environmental Alliance as a writer. She has had a deep care for the ocean and all its incredible sea life since she was very young, and loves spending time around and in the water, immersing herself in the amazing world under the waves.
