EcoWatch
Facebook 558k Twitter 222k Instagram 52k Subscribe Subscribe
  • Climate
  • Energy
  • Conservation
  • Food + Agriculture
  • Renewables
  • Oceans
  • Policy
  • Insights + Opinion
  • Go Solar Today
      • Top Companies By State
        • California Solar Companies
        • Texas Solar Companies
        • New York Solar Companies
        • Florida Solar Companies
        • See All States
      • Top Incentives By State
        • California Solar Incentives
        • Texas Solar Incentives
        • New York Solar Incentives
        • Florida Solar Incentives
        • See All States
      • Solar Panel Costs By State
        • Solar Panel Costs in California
        • Solar Panel Costs in Texas
        • Solar Panel Costs in New York
        • Solar Panel Costs in Florida
        • See All States
      • Value of Solar by State
        • Is Solar Worth It In California?
        • Is Solar Worth It in Texas?
        • Is Solar Worth It New York?
        • Is Solar Worth It In Florida?
        • See All States
      • Company Reviews
        • Tesla Solar Review
        • Sunrun Solar Review
        • SunPower Solar Review
        • Vivint Solar Review
        • See All Companies
      • Common Solar Questions
        • Can You Get Free Solar Panels?
        • Does Solar Increase Home Value?
        • What’re The Best Solar Batteries?
        • Can You Finance Solar?
        • Where To Buy Solar Panels?
        • Payback On Solar Panels?
      • Solar Resources
        • Interactive Solar Calculator
        • Federal Solar Tax Credit
        • Best Solar Panels For Most Homes
        • Tesla Solar Roof Review
        • Cheapest Solar Panels
      • Companies Compared
        • SunPower vs Tesla Solar
        • SunRun vs Tesla Solar
        • SunRun vs SunPower
        • SunPower vs Momentum Solar
        • SunPower vs ADT Solar
EcoWatch
  • Climate
  • Energy
  • Conservation
  • Food + Agriculture
  • Renewables
  • Oceans
  • Policy
  • Insights + Opinion
  • Go Solar Today
    • Go Solar Today
    • Top Companies By State
      • California Solar Companies
      • Texas Solar Companies
      • New York Solar Companies
      • Florida Solar Companies
      • See All States
    • Top Incentives By State
      • California Solar Incentives
      • Texas Solar Incentives
      • New York Solar Incentives
      • Florida Solar Incentives
      • See All States
    • Solar Panel Costs By State
      • Solar Panel Costs in California
      • Solar Panel Costs in Texas
      • Solar Panel Costs in New York
      • Solar Panel Costs in Florida
      • See All States
    • Value of Solar by State
      • Is Solar Worth It In California?
      • Is Solar Worth It in Texas?
      • Is Solar Worth It New York?
      • Is Solar Worth It In Florida?
      • See All States
    • Company Reviews
      • Tesla Solar Review
      • Sunrun Solar Review
      • SunPower Solar Review
      • Vivint Solar Review
      • See All Companies
    • Common Solar Questions
      • Can You Get Free Solar Panels?
      • Does Solar Increase Home Value?
      • What’re The Best Solar Batteries?
      • Can You Finance Solar?
      • Where To Buy Solar Panels?
      • Payback On Solar Panels?
    • Solar Resources
      • Interactive Solar Calculator
      • Federal Solar Tax Credit
      • Best Solar Panels For Most Homes
      • Tesla Solar Roof Review
      • Cheapest Solar Panels
    • Companies Compared
      • SunPower vs Tesla Solar
      • SunRun vs Tesla Solar
      • SunRun vs SunPower
      • SunPower vs Momentum Solar
      • SunPower vs ADT Solar

The best of EcoWatch right in your inbox. Sign up for our email newsletter!

    • About EcoWatch
    • Contact EcoWatch
    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Learn About Solar Energy
    Facebook 558k Twitter 222k Instagram 52k
    EcoWatch
    • About EcoWatch
    • Contact EcoWatch
    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Learn About Solar Energy
    Facebook 558k Twitter 222k Instagram 52k
    Home Science

    Green Technology Could Fully Extract Seaweed Compounds for Cosmetics Use

    By: Cristen Hemingway Jaynes
    Published: June 21, 2023
    Edited by Chris McDermott
    Facebook icon Twitter icon Pinterest icon Email icon
    Workers prepare red seaweed to be planted in a lagoon in Tunisia
    Workers prepare red seaweed to be planted in the Menzel Jemil lagoon in Tunisia's northern Bizerte region on May 27, 2021. FETHI BELAID / AFP via Getty Images
    Why you can trust us

    Founded in 2005 as an Ohio-based environmental newspaper, EcoWatch is a digital platform dedicated to publishing quality, science-based content on environmental issues, causes, and solutions.

    Facebook icon Twitter icon Pinterest icon Email icon

    Marine microalgae, commonly known as seaweed, contains bioactive compounds that have a variety of uses in the formulation of skin care products. It can be used as an additive, an active ingredient or as a gelling, thickening, texturizing, emulsifying or moistening agent. Seaweeds are also low-cost and renewable.

    According to Life Technology, seaweed has been used in cosmetics for centuries, but, despite its myriad of beneficial ingredients — including antioxidants, vitamins and minerals — the ability to use the superfood in cosmetics has been hampered by challenges in extracting its compounds.

    More From EcoWatch
    • What Are Solar Panels Made Of?
    • Monocrystalline Vs. Polycrystalline Solar Panels
    • How to Lower Your Energy Bill

    A recent article by scientists from Brazil demonstrates that all of the raw material from seaweed can be transformed into cosmetics ingredients using green technology that is available now.

     “The article arose from the idea of connecting the development of relevant scientific research on the macroalgal universe with potential demand from the cosmetics industry,” said Leonardo Zambotti Villela, a researcher with the University of São Paulo’s Institute of Chemistry and the Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Laboratory, who was one of the authors of the article, as the São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) reported. “We conducted a review of the literature to explore how macroalgal extracts are currently used and see what other activities are possible and worthwhile for the cosmetics industry. We set out to build all the knowledge in the scientific and industrial literature into biorefining scenarios and strategies so that seaweed can be 100% converted into ingredients. This entailed developing a pipeline from collection or production of macroalgae to post-production processing.”

    The article, “Macroalgae Biorefinery for the Cosmetic Industry: Basic Concept, Green Technology, and Safety Guidelines,” was published in the journal Phycology.

    Villela said the researchers’ goal is to analyze the protocols that can help apply the results from the scientific research to real-world industry. Villela believes that numerous aspects of biotech research have not been examined in depth.

    “The industry can only use findings on toxicity and biological activity, such as anti-aging and anti-oxidizing effects, among others, if they come from experiments that strictly follow the protocols of agencies such as the OECD [Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development] and ISO [International Organization for Standardization]. Our study offers a shortcut to this transition,” Villela said, as reported by FAPESP.

    A more thorough examination of the potential of seaweed extracts could allow the cosmetics industry to meet currently favored government, social and environmental sustainability requirements.

    The complexity of seaweed’s combination of compounds, which include proteins, polysaccharides and lipids, has made them traditionally hard to purify and extract, Life Technology reported.

    Extraction methods have involved using harsh chemicals that can be harmful to humans and the environment, besides resulting in poor quality extracts and low yields.

    The researchers put together evidence on the potential of Brazilian seaweed. 

    “We’ve always been at the forefront of biotech and ecology, especially bioprospecting and ecotoxicological research,” Villela said, according to FAPESP. “Also, for many years we took part in the Brazilian Antarctic Program [Proantar] and collected macroalgae from the Antarctic for environmental research and to prospect for biological assets.”

    Green technology could alter the methods by which seaweed is extracted and used to make cosmetics, reported Life Technology. One promising possibility is supercritical fluid extraction, an approach that uses carbon dioxide to extract seaweed’s beneficial compounds.

    Supercritical carbon dioxide is an environmentally friendly solvent that is nonflammable and nontoxic and can be used in the extraction of a variety of natural compounds. Due to its ability to be highly selective, it can be utilized to extract particular compounds from complex mixtures.

    The Brazilian research group is a member of a network of researchers called Redealgas that is associated with institutions that look at algae’s potential environmental, social and biotechnological impacts.

    “It’s a highly productive network from the standpoint of academic output as well as patents. It also works with coastal communities on social programs for their professional development,” Villela said, as FAPESP reported.

    Using green technology to extract beneficial compounds from seaweed could allow for its complete use in the creation of more environmentally friendly cosmetics products and provide more economic opportunities for seaside communities by developing new markets for seaweed, reported Life Technology.

    Subscribe to get exclusive updates in our daily newsletter!

      By signing up, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy, and to receive electronic communications from EcoWatch Media Group, which may include marketing promotions, advertisements and sponsored content.

      Cristen Hemingway Jaynes

      Cristen is a writer of fiction and nonfiction. She holds a JD and an Ocean & Coastal Law Certificate from University of Oregon School of Law and an MA in Creative Writing from Birkbeck, University of London. She is the author of the short story collection The Smallest of Entryways, as well as the travel biography, Ernest’s Way: An International Journey Through Hemingway’s Life.
      Facebook icon Twitter icon Pinterest icon Email icon

      Read More

      Pollination ‘Magic’ Happens at Night Too, First-of-Its-Kind Study Finds
      Pollinators are essential for the reproduction of most plant species,
      By Cristen Hemingway Jaynes
      Humpback Whales Give Birth During Epic Migrations and Continue Traveling: Study
      Scientists once believed that humpback whales only gave birth in
      By Cristen Hemingway Jaynes
      Plants Produce More Nectar in Response to the Sound of Buzzing Bees: Study
      When plants hear the buzzing of bees collecting nectar, they
      By Cristen Hemingway Jaynes

      Subscribe to get exclusive updates in our daily newsletter!

        By signing up, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy, and to receive electronic communications from EcoWatch Media Group, which may include marketing promotions, advertisements and sponsored content.

        Latest Articles

        • Pollination ‘Magic’ Happens at Night Too, First-of-Its-Kind Study Finds
          by Cristen Hemingway Jaynes
          May 23, 2025
        • Humpback Whales Give Birth During Epic Migrations and Continue Traveling: Study
          by Cristen Hemingway Jaynes
          May 23, 2025
        • Plants Produce More Nectar in Response to the Sound of Buzzing Bees: Study
          by Cristen Hemingway Jaynes
          May 23, 2025
        • NOAA: 2025 Atlantic Hurricane Season Predicted to Be Above Normal With 13 to 19 Named Storms
          by Cristen Hemingway Jaynes
          May 22, 2025
        • IEA Warns of Potential Shortages of Copper as Demand Increases For Renewables
          by Paige Bennett
          May 22, 2025
        • States Can Take Meaningful Climate Action, Even Without Federal Support: Study
          by Cristen Hemingway Jaynes
          May 22, 2025
        • Cultural Values on Indigenous Lands Help Forests Thrive at Nearly Twice the Rate of Protected Areas: Study
          by Cristen Hemingway Jaynes
          May 21, 2025
        • Removal of Invasive Bullfrogs Leads to Increase of Native Pond Turtles in Yosemite, Study Finds
          by Paige Bennett
          May 21, 2025
        EcoWatch

        The best of EcoWatch right in your inbox. Sign up for our email newsletter!

          • Climate Climate
          • Animals Animals
          • Health + Wellness Health + Wellness
          • Insights + Opinion Insights + Opinion
          • Adventure Adventure
          • Oceans Oceans
          • Business Business
          • Solar Solar
          • About EcoWatch
          • Contact EcoWatch
          • EcoWatch Reviews
          • Terms of Use
          • Privacy Policy
          • Learn About Solar Energy
          • Learn About Deregulated Energy
          • EcoWatch UK
          Follow Us
          Facebook 558k
          Twitter 222k
          Instagram 52k
          Subscribe Subscribe

          Experts for a healthier planet and life.

          Mentioned by:
          Learn more
          • Privacy Policy
          • Terms of Use
          • Cookie Preferences
          • Do Not Sell My Information
          © 2025 EcoWatch. All Rights Reserved.

          Advertiser Disclosure

          Our editorial team is committed to creating independent and objective content focused on helping our readers make informed decisions. To help support these efforts we receive compensation from companies that advertise with us.

          The compensation we receive from these companies may impact how and where products appear on this site. This compensation does not influence the recommendations or advice our editorial team provides within our content. We do not include all companies, products or offers that may be available.