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From snail cream to bee venom, the beauty industry certainly has an obsession with obscure ingredients. However, sometimes it’s the simple things that pack the mightiest punch. Take the humble seaweed, for example. This marine algae is currently making waves in the beauty world thanks to a flurry of new skincare launches singing its praises.
While slimy seaweed may get a bad rep at the beach, this nutrient-rich plant gives kale a run for its money in the superfood stakes. One of the hardiest crops on our planet, seaweed is packed full of magnesium, manganese, calcium, copper, iodine, iron, potassium, phosphorus and zinc. Not to mention that it's bursting with natural vitamins – in particular A, B, C, D and E – proven to boost immunity, improve heart health, and regulate hormones. And, of course, it will help your skin.
If you don’t fancy piling your plate with seaweed for breakfast, lunch and dinner, you can still reap its skin benefits via the products in your bathroom cabinet. Thanks to the alginates (acids that lock in moisture) in seaweed, it is excellent at soothing, hydrating and detoxifying the skin.
"The alginates work in the same way when it comes to skin and help to prevent it from drying out. They nourish, hydrate, and soften skin and soothe dryness, acne, psoriasis and eczema flare-ups, as well as removing toxins and cleansing pores, encouraging firmer skin tone and improving overall skin elasticity," explained Mark Sullivan of Living Sea Therapy, a Cornish brand pioneering skincare created with hand-harvested seaweed.
Whether you opt for a seaweed-infused soak, exfoliating scrub or detoxifying mask, getting your fix of this underwater algae couldn’t be easier. Click through to see our picks.
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