With the increasing demand of consumers for green natural cosmetics, researchers have begun to pay attention to the development and utilization of marine resources. Secondary metabolites and marine biomaterials from macro- and micro-organisms have been found to be valuable ingredients for cosmetics because of their antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-pigmentation activities. In addition, these marine active ingredients can also provide unique texture, emulsifying properties and color for cosmetic products. In order to achieve better skin care effects, technical experts need to effectively combine marine resources with innovative technologies to obtain more and more novel marine skin care ingredients to comply with the green development blueprint of the cosmetics industry.
Marine resources in the cosmetic industry
Marine resources are an interesting source of active ingredients for the cosmetic industry. Marine plants such as microalgae and macroalgae have established commercial facial and skin care products such as anti-aging creams, emollients and sunscreens in the cosmetics market. Marine animals also have potential applications in the cosmetic industry. For example, fish are a rich source of collagen and crustaceans are a rich source of chitin, chitosan and astaxanthin. All of these ingredients are commonly found in cosmetic products. In addition, marine bacteria, the most abundant and widely distributed marine micro-organisms, are also an important source of active ingredients for cosmetics. For example, marine bacteria collected around deep-sea hydrothermal vents produce complex and innovative polysaccharides in the laboratory that are useful in cosmetics [1].
The main functions of marine active ingredients in the cosmetic industry
Bioactive ingredients derived from marine resources have a variety of functional roles in cosmetics. The main functions are as follows.
Moisturizing care is required for any type of skin. In daily skin care procedures, moisturizing products can help your skin stay hydrated and refreshed. Marine resources produce a variety of active ingredients with moisturizing properties, such as collagen, polysaccharides and fatty acids. Take collagen as an example, it is the main structural protein in the extracellular matrix of various connective tissues in the body. The collagen produced by marine fish is not absorbed by the skin's stratum corneum and therefore remains on the skin's surface, acting as a water absorbent agent through hydration and keeping the skin moisturized.
As we age, our skin suffers natural wear and tear and shows signs of aging. In order to prevent this phenomenon, more and more anti-aging products are appearing. Marine active ingredients have been reported to have potential anti-aging and skin rejuvenating properties. This property makes marine products a popular skin care candidate in the anti-aging field. Algae are probably the most used marine ingredient in anti-aging products, mainly due to their biodiversity, ease of cultivation and growth modulation.
Skin whitening is described as the process of using natural or synthetic products to reduce the concentration of melanin in the skin in an attempt to lighten the skin or provide even complexion. The downregulation of tyrosinase is a common method to inhibit melanin production. Researchers have developed many different types of tyrosinase inhibitors from marine sources for skin whitening. For example, 7-phloroeckol from marine brown algae has been reported as a potential skin whitening agent, which significantly reduces melanin formation [2].
What can we do?
Alfa Chemistry believes that marine active ingredients will become a source of fascination for the cosmetics industry. As a professional marine ingredient supplier, we are committed to developing new and improved formulations for customers in the cosmetics industry to meet industry challenges. If you have any ideas or questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.
References
- Guillerme, J. B.; et al. Applications for marine resources in cosmetics. Cosmetics. 2017, 4, 35.
- Yoon, N. Y.; et al. Inhibitory effect of phlorotannins isolated from Ecklonia cava on mushroom tyrosinase activity and melanin formation in mouse B16F10 melanoma cells. J Agric Food Chem. 2009, 57: 4124-4129.
For Research Use Only. Not for use in diagnostic or therapeutic procedures.
