Marine plant extracts offer superior dermal protection

Wild-grown Undaria pinnatifida and Fucus vesiculosus macroalgae were sourced to extract two well characterised, certified organic fucoidan compounds: Maritech® Reverse and Maritech® Bright. Maritech® Reverse is a highly sulfated, high purity fucoidan, while Maritech Bright is a high purity compound comprised of both fucoidan and marine polyphenols. Extensive clinical and in vitro testing showed both extracts offer superior cosmeceutical benefits, particularly through anti-glycation, immune boosting and enzyme inhibitory mechanisms and UV protecting and soothing activity. Maritech Reverse was particularly effective at increasing the expression of wound-healing genes, while Maritech Bright was shown to clinically reduce age spot and wrinkle appearance. The demonstrated bioactivity of the extracts at low concentrations, in addition to their certified organic and environmentally sustainable status, position Maritech Bright and Maritech Reverse as two highly valuable ingredients for cosmetic formulations.

Marine plants, or macroalgae, have long been recognised for their therapeutic ability on the skin.1 Whole seaweed was traditionally used in various cultures for relieving joint pain, inflammation and burns via direct application to skin, or the addition to bath water and topical pastes. With modern technology and the advancement of extraction methods, certain components of seaweed have been able to be isolated for more targeted use in cosmetic formulations. These components include algae carbohydrates such as alginates and fucoidans and pigments such as polyphloroglucinol and fucoxanthin. Carbohydrate components, while typically used for stability, viscosity and conditioning functions, have in more recent years gained recognition for their extensive array of bioactivities; particularly those of fucoidans.2

Fucoidans refer to a class of fucose-rich polysaccharides found only in brown macroalgae. They are highly branched and heterodisperse compounds, which are both sulfated and acetylated. Fucoidans differ greatly in their molecular structure and bioactivity, depending on the type of macroalgae they are sourced from and the extraction method that is used. For example, fucoidan from Undaria pinnatifida seaweed (as seen in Figure 1) is highly sulfated and acetylated with a backbone containing bith fucose and galactose, while fucoidan extracted from Fucus vesiculosus has a backbone made predominantly of fucose with little acetylation.