If you’re anything like us, you’ve tried and tested just about all the viral skincare hacks circulating on your FYP. Chemical peels? Tried it. Retinol? Tested it. Glazed donut skin? Been there, got the Hailey Bieber t-shirt. But experts are now suggesting that perhaps its time to strip back the routines to introduce simpler, more natural ingredients into our skincare. Namely, seaweed.
Yup. Mermaidcore has found its way into skincare. Seaweed and algae are becoming a sought-after ingredient in the skin world…and it actually makes a whole lot of sense.
We spoke to skincare visionary Mark Walton, co-founder and managing director of VOYA – one of the leading beauty and wellness companies in the luxury skincare market (and one of the key suppliers of the Burj Al Arab in Dubai). Their prime ingredient? You guessed it, seaweed. VOYA offers a revolutionary range of results-driven seaweed-based facial and body products, combining the expertise of the world’s best cosmetic scientists with VOYA’s knowledge of the therapeutic benefits of seaweed. If you’ve been looking for a skincare ingredient that *actually* works…err, you’re going to want to read this.
Getting sea-rious about seaweed
Seaweed, as it turns out, has been used for over 300 years as therapy for a variety of skin and rheumatic conditions. For Irish skincare company VOYA, the ingredient has roots dating back years of old cultural traditions. “My family runs a seaweed bath house on the west coast of Ireland”, explains Mark, “people used to bathe in seaweed for a number of health reasons”. Seaweed bathing is Ireland’s only indigenous therapy, and when Mark and his wife decided one day to bottle up the benefits of it in a range of skincare products, little did they anticipate that they’d soon be supplying the biggest luxury hotels and spas in the world.
But what is it that makes seaweed so desirable? Aside from the host of incredible benefits (which we’ll get to), perhaps there’s a refreshingly tactile element to a skincare ingredient that’s, quite literally, organically sourced from the earth. Just as Mark puts it himself, “there literally is a guy right now in the west of Ireland with a knife and a barrel cutting seaweed, taking it back to the factory and processing it to turn it into an amazing seaweed extract which goes into the product. It’s a real formula”.
The benefits of seaweed in skincare
Take it from the pros, “seaweed is one of the best ingredients in the world for skincare” says Mark. “It’s a super ingredient. It filters the ocean, so it contains a massive complex of minerals and vitamins and bio-active compounds. There simply isn’t any other ingredient on the planet that has that spectrum”.
VOYA works with the most advanced cosmetic scientists to formulate seaweed-based products based on independent scientific research on the efficacy of seaweed. Among the findings, they confirmed that seaweed has a profound effect on Antioxidant Protection, Collagen Production and Skin Barrier Quality.
“I always think of skincare as two different pillars – one part is repair and one part is prevention” says Mark. “Seaweed is great because it helps with DNA damage and environmental damage, but it also helps with the natural production of collagen”.
To get granular on ingredients, seaweed contains several key vitamins including folate, vitamins A, B1, B2, B3, B6, and C. In fact, seaweed is almost unique in that it is one of the few plant sources of vitamin B12.
Seaweed also contains several other bioactive compounds not found anywhere else, including: Fucoxanthin, a powerful antioxidant that can quench harmful free radicals and reactive oxygen species that damage our bodies cells and Phlorotannin’s, a type of polyphenol, whose antioxidant activity fights against the free radicals that damage our cells and DNA.
Sounds like we’re on to a winner.
Seaweed vs Vitamin C
Speaking of antioxidants, seaweed may just have stole the spotlight from vitamin c – and ingredient that is seemingly everywhere in the current skincare market. As Mark explains,
“Antioxidants are really important in skincare, but they’re not very stable in formulation. A common example is vitamin c. The problem is, vitamin c doesn’t like heat or light. So when you put it into a formulation, by the time you actually get to use the product, the antioxidant capacity of that formulation has diminished.
Seaweed also has antioxidants, but if you think about seaweed – it dries out when exposed to sunlight. So it is resistant to heat and light. So by the time you actually use that product, the antioxidant capacity of that formulation is still very active”.
Seaweed supplements
Another age-old question, can we really ingest skincare? With the knowledge on the outstanding properties of seaweed, VOYA’s answer to that is an astounding YES. Arguably, seaweed supplements are the answer to much of our health concerns. “Ironically enough, even though a lot of people live by the sea, they don’t get enough iodine. And seaweed has a lot of it”.
Seaweed, an organically rich source of iodine contains numerous minerals, vitamins and beneficial ingredients absorbed from the sea, making it the perfect solution for replenishing the body’s minerals, and protecting skin against free radicals.
The next time you’re stocking up on skincare, don’t shy away from the power of seaweed.
Looking for more skincare inspo? Check out new beauty product drops in Dubai here.