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Algae have been making waves recently as potential ingredients for use in the world of cosmetics, with many companies harnessing their natural abundance of bioactive compounds for use in formulating products.
What we know:
Algal pigments extracted from marine macroalgae (i.e., seaweed) confer antioxidant and photoprotective properties, plus antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and anti-ageing effects (Freitas et al., 2022; Kalasariya et al., 2022)
Fucoidan extracts from seaweeds provide skin with anti-collagenase, anti-elastase and anti-atopic dermatitis properties, while essential and non-essential amino acids taken from algae improve collagen production, UV protection, and proteoglycan synthesis (Kalasariya et al., 2022)
Fatty acids like eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), arachidonic acid (AA), docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) act as emollients, enhance procollagen formation, and prevent inflammation (Kalasariya et al., 2022)
Oligosaccharide-zinc complexes from Laminaria digitata affect structure and function of the skin’s microbiome by reducing sebum production to limit growth of bacteria like Cutibacterium acnes linked to skin conditions such as acne vulgaris (Jesumani et al., 2019)
Ethyl acetate from Fucus evanescens promotes antibacterial activity against C. acnes and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, a microbe that exacerbates skin conditions such as atopic dermatitis and psoriasis (Jesumani et al., 2019; David et al., 2017)
Industry impact & potential:
Companies have begun using extracts of algae in sunscreen and moisturiser formulations to promote protection from UVA and UVB radiation, photo-ageing, retention, skin gloss, and emollience in an alternative non-toxic manner to synthetic compounds. Many algal carrageenans (i.e., sulphated polysaccharide) have been used as additives for shampoo formulations to promote viscosity, freeze-thaw stability, and improve overall quality.
The MareVitae® line owned by AlgaEnergy uses microalgae in their skin care products, with their patented Plankton7® extract containing active compounds from multiple algal species said to have individually beneficial effects on the face and skin. Other brands that have recently begun harnessing the power of algae and their extracts include Estée Lauder, ELEMIS, and Murad, with many citing anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and hydrating properties.
Our Solution:
There are challenges that must be addressed before algae can be used to their full potential, including strict regulatory controls to ensure they are safe for use. We provide bespoke testing services for novel cosmetic formulations, ensuring the impact they have on the physical, chemical and microbiomic characteristics of the skin is desirable. Once these restrictions have been met and overcome, there is little doubt that the full scope of algae’s capacity for both cosmetic and other industrial applications will be uncovered.
References:
David Wang, H-M., Li, X-C., Lee, D-J., Chang, J-S., Potential biomedical applications
of marine algae, Bioresource Technology (2017), doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2017.05.198
Freitas MV, Pacheco D, Cotas J, Mouga T, Afonso C, Pereira L. Red Seaweed Pigments from a Biotechnological Perspective. Phycology. 2022; 2(1):1-29. https://doi.org/10.3390/phycology2010001
Jesumani V, Du H, Aslam M, Pei P, Huang N. Potential Use of Seaweed Bioactive Compounds in Skincare-A Review. Mar Drugs. 2019 Dec 6;17(12):688. doi: 10.3390/md17120688. PMID: 31817709; PMCID: PMC6950024.
Kalasariya, Haresh & Pereira, Leonel. (2022). Dermo-Cosmetic Benefits of Marine Macroalgae-Derived Phenolic Compounds. Applied Sciences. 2022. 11954. 10.3390/app122311954.
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