Seaweed Cosmetics under the Spotlight of Sustainability

Abstract

Seaweeds represent a diverse and valuable source of cosmetic compounds such as vitamins, minerals, trace elements, amino acids, antioxidants, etc., with moisturizing, anti-inflammatory, and regenerative effects. The so-called “blue cosmetics” represent a line of products related to the use of natural active ingredients and an important market share in major international cosmetic brands. To be recognised as environmentally sustainable, it is essential to ensure that algae-derived products comply with environmentally sound harvesting, production, and extraction practices. In this work, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology was used to carry out an environmental impact assessment of the processing of the brown algae extract from Fucus vesiculosus and its comparative profile with the most used antioxidants in cosmetics: vitamin C and green tea extracts. Considering an equivalent formulation in antioxidant content, the results showed that seaweed has the lowest environmental load while green tea extracts have the highest environmental impact. Furthermore, to further reduce emissions from seaweed processing, the use of renewable energy sources and the valorisation of biomass residues as fertilisers in a circular economy approach are proposed.

Exploring the Potential of Using Marine-Derived Ingredients: From the Extraction to Cutting-Edge Cosmetics

“…[84] Innovation and technology are considered important drivers of sustainability, and can concern products or processes [82,85]. The rise of "eco-friendly" cosmetics and a particular concern with the use of clean technologies and the rational use of natural resources has led to the use of life-cycle approaches (LCA) [82,86]. An LCA comprises three steps [81]: the definition of goal and scoping and processing of system boundaries; the construction of a life-cycle inventory, with inputs and outputs of relevance throughout the entire product's life cycle; and the impact assessment of each life cycle phase, including areas for improvement.…”

“…The EU Green Deal, which aims for climate neutrality by 2050, together with the consumers' preferences with eco-cosmetics, have produced an important environmental awareness in the cosmetics industry [86]. Using a life-cycle approach and considering that "blue biotechnology" is only applied to the initial steps of a cosmetic's life cycle, it is important to assess the different biotechnological processes regarding their sustainability.…”

“…Pagels et al [86] conducted an environmental assessment of sea-harvested Fucus vesiculosus processing and compared it with the antioxidant profiles of vitamin C and green tea extracts, employing a LCA. Their study demonstrated that utilizing seaweed harvested from the sea entails significantly less human intervention and a notably higher growth rate, all without the need for terrestrial fertilizers, compared to land-based plants.…”

“…Their study demonstrated that utilizing seaweed harvested from the sea entails significantly less human intervention and a notably higher growth rate, all without the need for terrestrial fertilizers, compared to land-based plants. Furthermore, seaweeds have a similar environmental load when compared to ascorbic acid, even presenting an advantage regarding marine eutrophication and water consumption [68,86].…”

“…A seaweed biorefinery concept can be used mainly to address the use of seaweed species whose overgrowth is causing ecological damage and disruptions to coastal environments due to eutrophication [90]. Pagels et al [86] also introduced a biorefinery model suitable for cosmetics, where an initial extract is created for cosmetic applications, and any residual material is employed either as a fertilizer (acting as a biostimulant and biopesticide) or in the generation of biogas.…”