Evidence of skin-healing substances are found everywhere in the natural world, including in the ocean. One of the most abundant resources in this regard is the thousands of kinds of seaweed that grow in a variety of marine environments across the globe.

Read on to learn more about the benefits of seaweed for your skin!

What is Seaweed?

Even if you don’t live in a coastal region, you have no doubt seen pictures or video of large swaths of flowing plants in underwater footage or in photos. That is only one kind of seaweed that graces the seas of the world, helping to oxygenate and cleanse the waters.

In general, seaweed, or “macroalgae,” are plants that are multicellular and marine-dwelling. Seaweed is also “macroscopic.” No matter what the variety, it will always be visible to the naked eye. It must be submerged in saltwater to live, but it also needs sunlight. That is why it will also always be near the surface of the water too - in tide pools, brackish water, and near-coastal areas. The largest varieties can sometimes be rooted to the sea floor many meters underwater, with only the topmost leaves gathering just the right amount of sunlight needed to grow. Some varieties can expand many miles out from shore. Massive seaweed environments, such as kelp forests, can form entire offshore or near-shore ecosystems.

Seaweed is absolutely vital for life, and not just for sea life. This is because seaweed is a “primary producer” of oxygen for the entire planet. Seaweed beds put out about 30-50% of all available oxygen on Earth. Wow!

Canopies of healthy seaweed also form a protective covering for marine life, and barriers for coastal populations bracing for incoming storms.

Seaweed and Skin

Seaweed is also a food source for both marine life and humans. This is an important characteristic since it is seaweed’s nutrient content that is mostly responsible for the vast array of benefits it can provide for the skin.

Some varieties of seaweed that can benefit the skin include:

• Brown seaweed (Phaeophyta, Undaria pinnatifida, Fucus vesiculosus, Laminaria Digitata, kelp, and others),
• Red seaweed (Irish moss, Dulse, lavar, Corallina officinalis, Furcellaria lumbricalis, and others)
• Green seaweed (chlorophyta)
• Rainbow seaweed (Iridaea),
• Nori (Pyropia)

Let’s dive in a little deeper (no pun intended) to look at the specific benefits that these varieties of seaweed can provide for your unique skin health.

Seaweed is Antioxidant Rich & Nutrient Dense

The attribute that is most impressive about seaweed as both a food source and as a source of skin boosting is the sheer amount of essential vitamins, minerals, and antioxidant substances found within each graceful leaf or bulb.

All seaweed types are nutrient-dense and antioxidant-rich. Most also contain high levels of many key vitamins and minerals, including vitamin E, A, C and a wide array of B vitamins. Most are also high in magnesium, calcium, potassium, iron, and iodine as well as fiber. Up to 80% of a seaweed plant could be made up of nutrient-dense compounds. (1)

Some - especially red or brown varieties - contain specific substances that have been shown to boost collagen levels, provide immune system support, lower inflammation, detoxify the skin, deeply hydrate, and protect against UV-damage caused by the sun. (2)

Seaweed Is a Super-Protection Against the Sun’s UV Rays

A 2021 study conducted by the Indonesian Institute of Sciences found that the photo-protective qualities of many different kinds of seaweed - including green seaweed - was significant. According to the researchers, many seaweed varieties are “potential renewable sources of bioactive metabolites that have unique structural and functional features compared to their terrestrial counterparts.” (3)

Overexposure to UV rays and other skin hazards contributes most to the premature aging of the skin and this can be seen in wrinkles, blemishes, and sagging skin in particular. Seaweed is specifically designed to reach for as well as protect from the sun’s rays via unique compounds that cannot be found anywhere else in nature.

Fucoidan, carrageenan, fucoxanthin, laminarin, and mycosporine are some antioxidant-rich phytonutrients that can be found in many seaweed types. These particular phytonutrients add strong protective abilities against the harmful UV rays of the sun, as well as protection against other environmental assaults.

When you use the power of seaweed as part of your skincare routine, you are using its supercharged photosynthesis properties to work for you!

Seaweed Helps Keep Moisture In

Seaweed also acts as a natural “humectant.” A humectant is a substance that attracts and binds to water in order to keep things moist. This means that when you apply it, it will draw in moisture from the environment and into the skin.

As we age, lipid concentrations that make up the body’s natural protective layer in the epidermis begin to decrease while skin itself begins to thin. (4) Seaweed helps to boost the skin’s natural protective layers, seen especially in the stratum corneum. In addition, the polysaccharides within the seaweed itself can create a protective barrier on the surface of the skin. 

One in vivo study conducted by the Centre for Applied Bioscience Research in Limerick, Ireland found that Laminaria Digitata (also known as oatweed) has the ability to increase skin hydration levels by a whopping 18%! (5)

Other Benefits of Seaweed

While the two benefits mentioned above are dramatic and verified by plenty of research, they are not the only reasons why seaweed and seaweed extract is so beneficial for the skin. Here are a few more:

Boosts Collagen Levels. Seaweed can help to boost your collagen levels significantly. The majority (about 80%) of the collagen in your skin is “Collagen Type 1.” In the Irish study mentioned above, various types of seaweed had the ability to raise collagen Type 1 levels by between 100- 200%!

A Great Detoxifier. Seaweed is a natural detoxifier as well, since substances within it can bind and draw out pollutants, including heavy metals. This ability can clean out pores which helps you prevent bacterial build up and also helps boost mechanisms in the skin that promote youthful vigor.

Great for Sensitive Skin. Seaweed extracts within quality skincare formulas can also be ideal for those with sensitive skin. Seaweed can be a go-to ingredient for acne-prone or combination skin, too. Seaweed is a natural anti-inflammatory and can soothe as well as exfoliate and cleanse.

Seaweed Under Threat: How This Affects You

Seaweed is a valuable renewable natural resource. Not only that, as I mentioned earlier, it is essential for the health of the planet, since it contributes the lion’s share of the oxygen that all living things need to survive.

And also, sadly, many varieties of seaweed are being affected (as are us humans) by toxic chemicals, runaway manufacturing and processing practice, and pollution in both the waters and air.

Seaweed acts as a filter for natural substances that can become hazardous if quantities get too high. Ammonia, phosphorus, nitrate, and nitrogen are some examples of compounds that are often found in high amounts in agricultural and industrial areas. Like the detoxification system found in our human body, there is only so much that this one life form can do to mitigate harmful manmade substances. Agricultural runoff, waste products from manufacturing, sewage toxins and more can overload entire seaweed ecosystems, leading to toxicity and die off.

What does this have to do with your skin? First of all, low seaweed levels mean rising toxins in the air, water, and even soil that can harm your skin health. Secondly, all this also means that you have to proceed with caution when choosing skincare products that contain seaweed. Studies have found dangerous manmade substances such as PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls) and PBDEs (polybrominated diphenyl ethers) in edible seaweed, as well as heavy metals. A 2022 study conducted by Western Washington University and the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife found significantly high levels of over 160 dangerous contaminants in edible seaweeds in the Salish Sea and in the waters around Seattle’s Victoria Harbor. Some of the highest toxin levels were for benzo[a]pyrene, PCBs, mercury, arsenic, and lead. (6)

The CHARLÍS ToxicFree® Commitment

I am excited to announce that we use Laminaria Digitata Seaweed Extract in our CHARLÍS Neutral Tinted Face Moisturizer with SPF 25. At CHARLÍS, we have a commitment to obtain ingredients for our formulas that are 100% sustainably produced, and many are “wild-harvested” as well. In addition, each one is lab tested by the independent ToxicFree© Foundation. For more information on how you can tell the difference between a truly ToxicFree© product and an imposter, check out this article.

CHARLÍS also has a commitment - that we take very seriously - to ethically source all of our ingredients. This means that we care about sustainability - where and how the ingredients that we use for our formulas are first harvested and then manufactured. Our commitment to sustainability also means that we will not obtain seaweed ingredients that come from areas of the world where it has been depleted.

Experience the Healing Properties of Seaweed with CHARLÍS!

Like I mentioned above, we included Laminaria Digitata Extract in the one-of-a-kind CHARLÍS Neutral Tinted Face Moisturizer. With this formula, we have created a light, gentle, slightly-tinted moisturizer that is perfect for sensitive skin and has a zinc oxide-based SPF factor of 25 for long-lasting UV protection!

Experience the CHARLÍS difference and the luxuriously healing benefits of Laminaria Digitata seaweed in the CHARLÍS Neutral Tinted Face Moisturizer- because you are so worth it!

References:

1. An overview on the nutritional and bioactive components of green seaweeds
2. Brown Seaweed Food Supplementation: Effects on Allergy and Inflammation and Its Consequences
3. Anti-Photoaging and Potential Skin Health Benefits of Seaweeds
4. American Academy of Dermatology (AAD)
5. Voya Case Study
6. Chemical contaminant levels in edible seaweeds of the Salish Sea and implications for their consumption