Microalgae as sustainable source of powerful actives

The vast expanse of water covering our planet has been at the origin of life and is fundamental to the equilibrium of physical and biological cycles on Earth. Its oceans and their depths are interwoven with our history as a species as well as being at the very root of legends and myths giving birth to many of our civilisations. 

Today’s ‘green’ cosmetic industry has turned to the sea  in a quest to search for novel ingredients in order to provide elements of improved efficacy, natural origins, innovation and sustainability to modern cosmetic products particularly as regards active materials. It initiated a ‘blue’ trend which is here to stay, offering an exciting and seemingly infinite spectrum of possibilities. As always, it is essential that such product strategies are implemented following a code of respect for the environment, true industrial scale to satisfy the real needs of cosmetic manufacturers which may expand across borders and a renewable approach which does not entail tampering with the ecosystem or altering natural biodiversity. 

One particularly interesting and rich group of marine organisms which is capable of providing a wealth of benefits for cosmetic application is microalgae. Modern patented technology allows us to obtain specific species in sufficiently large quantities to satisfy the formulator’s quality and performance needs by controlling the farming environment and ensuring true sustainability and safety. An extremely important step in the production phase is the use of green energy produced via closed circuit waste recycling systems where the resulting CO2 is purified and fed as an essential metabolic element to the microalgae, ensuring the whole process has the lowest possible carbon footprint (Fig. 1). The carefully controlled greenhouse system allows isolation from external contamination while exploiting the most favourable climate and sunlight conditions of the Mediterranean thanks to its geographical location.¹