Sustainable Seaweed In Skin Care by Lydia Sarfati

The first form of life was derived from unicellular marine microalgae, which appeared in the ocean over 3.5 billion years ago. There are over 40,000 different species of marine micro-and macroalgae worldwide. The oldest of the marine macroalgae with fossils being found at are at least 1.2 billion years old. Scientists believe that marine algae may produce over 60% of the earth’s oxygen. Researchers point out the almost uncanny similarity between seawater and human plasma, our intercellular fluid. The sea covers over two-thirds of our planet, and, perhaps as no coincidence, the human body is made of two-thirds water as well. Seaweed is a very powerful concentration of seawater. One liter of seaweed contains the same concentration of elements found in 10,000 liters of seawater. Seaweeds have no roots, stems or leaves but rather have parallel structures including holdfasts, stipes and blades, respectively. They are able to uptake minerals by absorption and active transport from seawater and have close symbiotic associations with bacteria for important vitamins necessary for their growth. Because of these processes, some seaweeds become a dense concentration of vitamins, minerals, trace-elements, macro-elements, phytohormones, amino acids, proteins and lipids.

Seaweed and Skin Care:

For centuries, people have turned to the sea for its renewing properties. Thalassotherapy, stemming from the Greek word for sea, “thalassos”, is a term coined to describe the usage of seawater for therapeutic purposes and preventative measures based on the belief that immersion in seawater helps promote wellbeing and cleanses the system. Bathing in seawater is one of the deepest rooted bathing traditions. Today, the tradition of thalassotherapy continues as spas and skin care centers around the world.

In skin care, specific seaweeds can be used to create a number of beneficial cosmetic effects including decreasing the appearance of oil, diminishing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, exfoliating the skin for a more luminous looking complexion and moisturizing the skin to make it feel and look soft and smooth.

Seaweed needs light for photosynthesis, which converts light energy into chemical energy producing sugars and oxygen. The colors of seaweeds are determined by the photosynthetic pigments including chlorophylls, phycobiliproteins, xanthophylls and carotenoids. Seaweeds also have compounds such as mycosporine-like amino acids that protect them from ultraviolet light too.

Small boats travel to the kelp beds on exposed ledges to harvest, working at the lowest point of the low tide line into the subtidal where the seaweeds cling to the rocks. The work is difficult, in that the harvester has to carefully cut the seaweed as the plants are briefly exposed between the swells of the waves. The cutting has to done with specific techniques to allow for sustainable growth and ensure the long-term health of the seaweed plants and minimal impact on the local ecosystem. Once brought back to shore, the seaweed is immediately hung to dry away from direct sunlight, reaching a shelf stable condition within 24-36 hours, at which point it may be stored for up to a year under proper conditions.

Seaweed can be specifically grown on ropes (or longlines) suspended in seawater , harvested by boat along floating lines and gathered into nets or large storage bins on harvesting boats. Crops are harvested over a period of a month or two until temperature conditions limit the growth of the crop. For industrial use, the seaweed is initially stored in wet chambers then dried at temperatures that minimize degradation of bioreactive compounds.⁴

With the increased interest and research into seaweed, this natural ingredient, already used in many skin care products, promises to become an even more important ingredient for wide spread use, from medicine to even biofuels. Proper regulation and maintenance of sustainable harvesting procedures will be paramount to assure that the seaweed has a broad genetic diversity and of the same quality. Likewise, environmental regulations of water quality will be important to provide a suitable environment for seaweed growth. Once in place, seaweed offers an extremely promising future as a staple ingredient.