Our Ingredients: Red, Green and Brown Algae

In recent years, the cosmeceutical industry has come under intense pressure to become less dependant on synthetic ingredients which could be (and in most instances were/are) harmful to our environment's fauna and flora. 

Algae has always been known to have medicinal properties - but as industrialisation and modernisation took hold, ancient 'beliefs' fell out of fashion - especially in many Western societies - mostly in favour of mass produced chemicals.

Right now is an exciting time for Algae - a lot of research is being conducted which is not only uncovering amazing benefits and bringing them forward but also finding and implementing sustainable practices relating to farming, harvesting and packaging the various algae products for end user consumption.

Applications for Algae in Skincare and Cosmeceuticals: 

News within the industry is always alive with claims which tell a story of the latest 'holy-grail' ingredient found. As the news settles in, all too often there's the typical 'pushback' which often indirectly comes from anyone with a commercial interest - chances are they don't have that particular ingredient in their product lineup - at the end of the day, the best possible source of real information comes from Scientific Evidence and Independent Peer Reviews.

Algae is here to stay, here's why: 

Certain species have an amazing ability to protect their biomass through the harshest environmental conditions - such as severe droughts which could last decades or even frozen in time, deep within glaciers for centuries. They can even protect themselves from harsh UVA&B radiation and are not only able to protect themselves but can repair their cellular makeup too.

Finding ways to sustainably 'bottle' these benefits (without loosing effectiveness in the process) is exactly where the forward thinkers are within the cosmeceutical industry is right now - and that's really exciting. 

Algae is split into Micro (unicellular) and Macro (multicellular) species. These are split into three major groups based on their pigmentation - Green, Brown and Red.

Ingredients are extracted from different species to defend against a number of leading causes relating to excessive oxidation, a reduction in skin suppleness and texture, collagen synthesis support, UVA&B protection and more. 

When direct exposure to UV rays is established over a long period of time, radiation is absorbed by melanin, a complex polymer pigment which imparts colour to the human skin. Constant or excessive exposure increases melanin production creating a complex transfer which could lead to excessive activity of tyrosinase and melanogenesis. Laminaria extract contains fucoxanthin which is a highly effective tyranose inhibitor and is used to rate-limit the process of pigmentation.  

Skin Ageing is a complex biological occurrence and refers to the loss of elasticity, the appearance of fine lines, ridges and discolouration. The leading cause of skin ageing is reactive oxygen species (ROS) such as peroxides, superoxides, hydroxyl radical and singlet oxygen. Protein kinase is stimulated by ROS leading to a reaction which ultimately dilapidates collagen from the skin.

Leading Scientists have recently made promising conclusions about how algal products such as fat soluble Vitamin E as a powerful anti-oxidant and pigments such as carotene and other powerhouse anti-oxidants such as Astaxanthin which rejuvenate and help the skin immunise against the effects of premature ageing. 

The subject is very interesting and extensive and we'll cover more on upcoming publications - but these are just some of the major reasons we include (water soluble) Laminaria & Fucus Algae Extracts into Kalōnology's best skincare collection Advanced Vitamin C Serum, Pro-Age Marine Day Cream SPF-30, Pro-Age Marine Collagen Boost Night Cream and our Pro-Age Marine Advanced Skin Recovery.

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