Our oceans provide a bounty of sea plants and vegetables, a virtual farmer's market of ecologically renewable, sustainable and environmentally-friendly options for skin care ingredients. The greens of the ocean garden infused with the healing energy of the blue ocean, now that's something to celebrate!
Seaweed is divided into three groups based on their pigment: red algae (Rhodophyceae), brown algae (Phaeophyceae), and green algae (Chlorophyceae).Brown and red algae species specifically provide exceptional benefits to skin care due to their high concentration of functional, bioactive compounds.
Our favorite reds and browns are Hypnea Musciformis (a red seaweed sourced from Hawaii), Laminaria Digitata, and Macrocystis Pyrifera (brown seaweed sourced from the Pacific Ocean).
And, as an added bonus for us formulating geeks, these marine extracts also provide exceptional thickening, gelling, and emulsifying properties resulting in the decadent texture of our Body Butter that we all so love!
What makes seaweed a skin-nourishing powerhouse? Seaweed naturally contains lush amounts of:
- polyphenols [antioxidant, anti-aging]
- polysaccharides [antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, with exceptional hydrating and moisturizing effects]
- pigments [such as chlorophyll and carotenoid to help visibly reduce the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles, and visible sun damage]
- polyunsaturated fatty acid [anti-inflammatory, exceptional emollient properties that protect the skin from water loss, even more potent than hyaluronic acid]
- sterols [skin-softening]
- proteins [skin-brightening, evens skin tone]
- peptides [antioxidant, anti-inflammatory]
- mycosporine-like amino acid (MAA) [defends and protects seaweed from UV radiation and damage]
- vitamins [vitamin A, vitamin B, vitamin C, vitamin D, and vitamin E]
...making seaweed the perfect skin-care ingredient to deliver all the goods:
- soothing
- anti-aging
- anti-inflammatory
- skin-lightening
- skin-firming
- antioxidant
- antimicrobial
- hydrating
And that is why there is seaweed in our Body Butter. Ta-da!
* photo caption: "We've captured the best of the best, the most active bio-nutritional seaweed extracts available and built our formulas around them. Our curated blend of powerhouse marine algae work synergistically to provide a broad spectrum of skin-nourishing, skin-fortifying, and skin-perfecting benefits." *