The diversity of life remains one of the most striking aspects of our blue planet. It is estimated that about 195,000 Eukaryotes species are catalogued in oceans and more than 2,200,000 are predicted. These data include Animalia, Chromista, Fungi, Plantae and Protozoa without any precise mention for microalgae and macroalgae.1
Nowadays, algae are classified in four kingdoms: Cyanobacteria, Plantae, Chromista and Protozoa.2 Among them, macroalgae constitutes an exceptional reservoir of innovative molecules for cosmetic purposes due to the important algal biodiversity throughout the world. They may bring numerous bioactive compounds incorporated in a wide range of products like creams, lotions and shampoos among others.
macroalgae concerns mainly Phaeophyceae (brown species), occasionally Rhodophyceae (red species) and more exceptionaly Chlorophyceae (green species). However Chlorophyta includes nearly 4,600 species and probably even more remain to be discovered as mentioned in several studies. 2-3
Consequently this group of green macroalgae remains to be explored as a source of new bio-based products and applications. Some species showed interesting purposes for cosmetics, especially: (1) the antioxidant potential of the extracts prepared from Ulva pertusa, Enteromorpha linzaand Bryopsis plumosa 4, or also from Enteromorpha compressa, Enteromorpha intestinalis, Ulva fasciata, Ulva lactuca, Chaetomorpha antennina5, (2) the powerful anti-inflammatory effect of Codium fragile6 or (3) the oligosaccharides prepared from the polysaccharide ulvan of Ulvaspecies7.
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