These marine plants are great for enhancing elasticity, anti-ageing and protection against UV rays, says skincare expert Trishita Mishra Adlakha
Ever wondered what those differently shaded small plants that wash up on the beach, while you’re strolling around and enjoying the sea breeze, are?
Technically speaking, seaweeds are marine microalgae. They are autotrophs (making their own food, just like plants), so all they need is sunlight and salty/brackish water in order to thrive. In oceans, microscopic seaweed live suspended by becoming base of the marine food chains. The giant ones grow in abundant forests and look like redwoods, while their roots touch the bottom of the sea. The medium sized seaweeds bloom on the beaches and shorelines.
Seaweeds have been known since ages for various uses. Owing to the high quality and quantity of commercially important metabolites produced by them they have been widely used for various food and industrial purposes. With further exploration in the field of science, the use of seaweeds have been expanded in various sectors, growing profusely in the field of skincare.
Seaweeds tend to thrive very well in very salty to very cold waters. They easily cope up with harsh UV rays and other climactic stress factors. It is because of the very efficacious metabolites secreted by them, which protect them from the highly damaging stress factors. The same metabolites have proven to show phenomenal results on skin. A few of the most efficacious and significant ones are golden, brown and sugar seaweed.
Sugar Seaweed is used to enhance products’ ability to be a protective layer against UV rays while the golden one enhances the skin barrier functioning, making skin more tough and resilient against external stress factors, which can trigger skin ageing. Sugar seaweed actively increases Keratinocyte differentiation (which is the outer protein found in the epidermis of skin, which forms a strong protective barrier for skin). It intensively increases skin hydration and skin elasticity, thereby reducing wrinkle depth. To some extent it can also help in reactivation of old cells.
The actives of golden seaweed extracts are often used as global anti-ageing and skin defence ingredients. They are procured from shallow depths of the ocean, wherein there is magnified UV exposure and high levels of salt; and it thrives there, staying perfect and resilient. For the same reason, it has been harvested to extract the potent active and use in luxurious skin care products. This active protects the skin’s DNA after exposure to harsh UV rays and reduces skin inflammation mediators. These properties are pivotal for formulating a crème that is quintessential for a global anti-ageing/skin regenerating products.
(The author works for a personal care brand.)