What Pink Algae Extract Can Do For Your Skin
A Go-To ingredient if we ever saw one. No colour manipulation required. Promise!
The next iteration of seaweeds, sea cucumbers and spirulina to slip into cosmetic formulas, pink algae (more specifically/scientifically, Dunaliella Salina extract) brings a supercharged dose of antioxidants to the skin. You know the drone shots of that pink lake in Western Australia that pop up in your Instagram feed? Welp, it’s pink because it’s filled with pink algae.
It turns this very aesthetic colour because it contains high levels of carotenoids. Carotenoids are a type of antioxidant that are generally highly pigmented and are what give so many fruits and veggies (carrots, pumpkin, tomatoes) their bright skin! Our pink algae extract is particularly rich in what are known as colourless carotenoids (specifically phytoene and phytofluene) which are the building blocks for all other carotenoids.
We wanted the bougiest pink algae, of course, because it was going straight in our Very Luxe Face Cream. So naturally we looked to the mediterranean. The Dunaliella Salina you can now find in our most sophisticated moisturiser is knowingly harvested from a pond in Spain. After collecting and drying the crop, a highly purified extract is made by using supercritical CO2 extraction. This is a low temperature extraction method that ensures the nutrients found in the algae are as close to their natural state as possible. (We like to let the plants do their plant-y thing, without interference.) Once purified and combined with jojoba oil, you’ve got pink algae extract in its final skincare-ready form.
These carotenoids (which we’ve already established as a type of antioxidant) can protect against the formation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs). Stay with me… This is a more scientific way of explaining a cellular reaction that can contribute to ageing processes in the body. It is through this antioxidant protection that the pink algae extract is working to improve the appearance of skin redness, fine lines and wrinkles, reduce the appearance of skin roughness, and increase firmness and elasticity.
Might we offer a quick refresher on what our consumer study participants had to say after only 6 weeks of consistently using Very Luxe Face Cream:
100% of participants confirmed their skin appeared tighter
100% of participants noticed their skin tone appeared more even
100% of participants said the appearance of tired, dull skin was transformed
Proof is in the plants! Or something like that. But please do not go plucking handfuls of algae from pink lakes on your next road trip. Much too salty.
