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Australia’s relationship with the ocean is an enduring one, with locals flocking to the seashore whenever they have the chance. Our love for the beach has shaped our culture, and plays a big part in influencing our fashion, diets and, recently, beauty routines.
Marine extracts and ingredients are featuring in beauty products more and more. This trend is being embraced by local brands, including skincare creator . The brand’s range is pharmacologically engineered to harness marine extracts in its products, combining this technology with the biological properties of plant compounds.
Primarily, the range addresses the symptoms of ageing by helping to refine and smooth out lines and wrinkles. It also works to unify the complexion and reduce glycation, oxidative damage, inflammation and pigmentation.
The brand was born following founder Professor Pete Smith’s discovery of the beneficial power of seaweed. Professor Smith explains: “In 2009, [I] was doing studies in skin repair and identified that the key ingredient from seaweed could help skin injury. Whilst investigating these properties, [my] team identified improvement in skin hyper-pigmentation (sunspots and melasma) and wrinkles.”
Apparently, utilising gems from the sea for beauty purposes is nothing new, with Professor Smith saying: “Seaweeds have been used in healing since ancient times, but only now are we really unlocking how they work. We have data that our ingredients reduce oxidation, glycation and inflammation, which are cornerstones of ageing.”
The use of marine ingredients is not only intriguing, but it is what makes the brand stand out in a saturated market. “No other company has our Marine Extract - which comes from the cleanest cool oceans in the world,” says Professor Smith. The hero ingredient is Marinoplex™, which is developed from cool weather marine plants.
“The physical properties [of the ingredients] is really exciting. Our products use the highest grade of these ingredients that are also harvested in a sustainable and ecologically responsible manner,” he says. They are plucked from areas such as Tasmania and Patagonia.
As Professor Smith is a clinical allergist and immunologist with a PhD in molecular immunology, the formulations have a strong scientific basis. A team of pharmacists (including cosmeceutical) and scientists helped to assemble and research the range over a five-year period, creating products using the best ingredients at pharmaceutical standards, rather than in a factory. “We have spent over five years developing our elite skincare products with the help of leading scientists and a team of pharmacists from Australia and around the world. The ingredients have been tested independently in the US and Europe,” he comments.
This knowledge of the skin’s structure has allowed the brand to produce natural alternatives to common chemical combinations. “We use the best natural ingredients and we align these with the molecular physiology of the skin.” Professor Smith believes consumers are moving towards high-quality natural products: “The consumers are asking for natural solutions for their skin,”.
Along with the rising popularity of natural, is aware of the surging demand for multi-purpose products. It’s this understanding that inspired the creation of hero product, Golden Youth. The multi-faceted anti-ageing facial moisturiser incorporates a slew of ingredients that assist in reducing wrinkles, sun spots and melasma and pore size, while boosting skin clarity and radiance.
With more products to be added to the brand’s line-up in the next 12 to 18 months, the shift towards marine ingredients seems to not be a trend, but rather, a movement towards embracing Australia’s natural offerings from both land and sea.
