Ocean-Safe Beauty: Why It Matters for Consumers and the Environment

Ocean-Safe Beauty: Why It Matters for Consumers and the Environment

Ocean-safe beauty is receiving increasing attention as consumers become more aware of the impact products can have beyond the bathroom shelf.

The Global Green Beauty Awards introduced the Best ‘Ocean Safe’ Product category to recognise brands considering not only how products perform, but also their relationship with the wider environment.

The 2025 winners approached the category from very different directions. Gypsea Sol focused on reducing the amount of beauty product entering marine environments. Cosmetics Herbera combined sun care with organic and sustainable product development. Gold winner SIELE focused on ocean-conscious sunscreen formulation.

Gypsea Sol: Looking Beyond Reef-Safe Claims

Silver winner Gypsea Sol was recognised for its After-Ocean Hair Repair treatment.

The product sits within a brand built entirely around AFTER-ocean beauty. Rather than creating products designed to be worn into the water, Gypsea Sol focuses exclusively on products designed to be used afterwards.

The brand’s view is that even products marketed as natural or reef-safe are still man-made formulas that ultimately enter marine environments. By creating products specifically for use after swimming, surfing and time spent at the beach, Gypsea Sol aims to reduce the amount of beauty product entering the water in the first place.

That same thinking can be seen throughout the business. Products are produced in small batches, customers are encouraged to return empty packaging for reuse, and the brand supports coral restoration through its partnership with the Great Barrier Reef Foundation.

Cosmetics Herbera: Combining Sun Care with Sustainability

Highly Commended winner Cosmetics Herbera was recognised for its SOLEÁ Bio Sunscreen & Age Protect.

The product reflects many of the principles on which the brand was founded, including organic ingredients, transparency and environmental responsibility.

Behind the brand is founder Mayte García, a pharmacist whose interest in medicinal plants and phytotherapy eventually led her to establish her own laboratory in Madrid. After years of studying pharmaceutical botany, developing formulations and exploring traditional plant knowledge, she created Cosmetics Herbera with the aim of combining nature and science.

Her journey also included time spent in Central America researching the relationship between indigenous communities and medicinal plants, experiences that helped shape the philosophy behind the brand.

Today, Cosmetics Herbera is certified vegan and cruelty-free, uses certified organic ingredients and packages products in recyclable glass. Most formulations contain more than 90% organic ingredients certified under the BioVidaSana standard. SOLEÁ Bio Sunscreen & Age Protect sits naturally within that philosophy, combining sun care with the brand’s wider commitment to sustainability and conscious product development.

SIELE: Ocean-Conscious Formulation

Gold winner SIELE Protection Sunscreen SPF50+*** approached ocean-safe beauty through formulation.

The sunscreen was developed using an ocean-friendly formula and avoids ingredients associated with coral concerns under regulations introduced in locations such as Hawaii. It combines physical sun protection with ingredients including resurrection grass extract and glacial brown algae extract while remaining free from added alcohol, fragrance and colouring.

Ocean-friendly formulation sits at the heart of the product, with coral-conscious ingredient choices considered alongside effective sun protection.

Why We Created the Ocean Safe Category

The Ocean Safe category was introduced because sustainability is about more than what we put on our skin. When creating the category, Global Green Beauty Awards editor Dominique Tufa wanted to recognise brands that were looking beyond product performance alone and considering the wider environmental impact of the products they create.

Gypsea Sol approached the challenge by reducing what enters the ocean in the first place. Cosmetics Herbera combined sun care with organic ingredients, sustainability and environmental responsibility through SOLEÁ Bio Sunscreen & Age Protect. SIELE focused on ocean-conscious formulation choices and coral-aware sun protection.

Categories such as Ocean Safe were created to recognise brands exploring these ideas and encouraging wider conversations about the relationship between beauty products and the natural world.