HANA MUŠINOVIĆ
The International Natural and Organic Cosmetics Association – NATRUE, Brussels, Belgium

Abstract

The cosmetic industry is following the trend of sourcing more ingredients of natural origin in order to be in line with the demands and expectations of consumers, who want more sustainable products. Traditionally, the search for natural substances has focused on the use of actives from plant extracts, but marine environments have recently become key for the sourcing of certain marine substances with great innovative cosmetic potential, particularly for the natural and organic cosmetic sector. Marine bioactive compounds from algae, fungi and marine bacteria are more and more used for their hydrating, antioxidant and anti-aging qualities, and they can be easily produced through aquaculture methods, which helps to further explore the potential of certain marine ingredients in a sustainable way.

With the rise of consumers awareness of sustainability issues and concerns about finite fossil fuel resources and their environmental impact, the cosmetic industry is also following the trend to source more ingredients from natural origin. This trend is greatly influenced by an increasing demand for products made from natural raw materials. Traditionally, the search for natural substances has focused on the use of actives from plant extracts, but the scope has now widened to discover and unlock the potential of marine organisms, whose substances represent an active contributor towards innovation in the highly competitive cosmetics industry. In this article we shed light on innovative marine-derived substances, their functionality and their cosmetic potential. 

MARINE BIOACTIVE COMPOUNDS

Marine environments are rich in biodiversity and they represent a home to a vast number of species inhabiting the oceans, rivers and lakes worldwide. However, it remains an untapped resource as just a handful of active marine ingredients are produced on an industrial scale. The focus for cosmetic end use is currentl ...