Seaweed for beauty & cosmetics

Seaweed has long been used in natural beauty treatments. There is a tradition of bathing in seaweed, known as thalassotherapy, that has developed into modern-day face masks and body wraps suitable for all skin types. Technical applications for seaweed are also evolving thanks to the unique components of marine algae.

Horizon Seaweed supplies ingredients to use in a range of beauty and cosmetic applications. Extracts of seaweed are made using a range of solvents, depending on the end application. While we do not create extracts in-house, we can refer customers to specialist partner manufacturers that trust our high quality seaweed.

Seaweed is an established cosmetic ingredient

Almost all of the seaweeds we supply are listed as cosmetic ingredients on CosIng: a European Commission database introduced to promote innovation and improve manufacturing efficiencies. There are many entries under the scientific names of whole seaweed and extracts, with the latter opening up a wider range of applications. Many of the stated functions relate to improving the properties of the end product, including control of viscosity (e.g. dulse), binding (e.g. sea lettuce), abrasive (e.g. Irish moss), absorbent (e.g. sea spaghetti) and scent (e.g. bladder wrack). Various benefits are also connected to seaweed in CosIng, principally around skin health. There are many species listed as skin conditioning (e.g. knotted wrack, kelp, nori) and skin protecting (e.g. tangle, toothed wrack, channeled wrack). Species are also listed as emollients (e.g. spiral wrack, sugar kelp, bladder wrack): soothing agents that soften skin and improve texture. Different species can be combined: an extract of knotted wrack and bladder wrack is listed as a humectant to draw water into skin. There are also benefits for hair, with extract of Atlantic wakame listed for hair conditioning. 

Across all species we supply, there are 26 functions listed for pure seaweed and 42 functions listed in CosIng for various forms of extract. The species attributed with the most entries is bladder wrack (Fucus vesiculosus); the Horizon Seaweed team prize this variety due to the range of bioactive components. For example, we have supplied high quality bladder wrack for extraction of fucoidan, which is an exciting sulphated polysaccharide for a range of interesting applications. 

Using seaweed

We can advise on particle size for different applications, but our customers tend to prefer smaller cuts. Powdered seaweed can be combined with water, aloe vera and vegetable glycerin to form a paste for face scrubs.It can also go into anti-ageing creams, after-sun lotions, serums, cleansers, soaps and bath salts. In addition to the functions listed above, seaweed can also be added for decorative effect.

Horizon Seaweed has supplied broader cuts to go within cotton bags for luxurious bathing: toothed wrack is ideal for this application. Larger sizes may be more suitable for creating extracts, depending on the method used. It may also be advisable to add seaweed to formulations once cool to maximise bioactive composition.

Provenance

Cosmetic and wellness brands place value in provenance and botanical identification at the harvest stage is essential. Our high quality seaweed is hand harvested or sustainably farmed, with minimal environmental impact. We do not irradiate our products and there is no GMO. Seaweed tells a powerful story and marries well with other ingredients. Horizon Seaweed can provide full traceability, providing certificates of origin if required. 

We are keen to talk through beauty and cosmeceutical applications for seaweed. However, our customers are responsible for the safety assessment of our seaweed as ingredients in a cosmetic product. Full information on our seaweed is available on request, including Material Safety Data Sheets. We provide flexibility on minimum order quantities to help in the early phases of product launches.