Organic Seaweed: a natural organic sunscreen extract from seaweed

The Organization

Organic Seaweed - Ebeltoft Vig Ltd. is a small company, which cultivates 14 tons of kelp each year from own coastal seaweed farm. Established in 2015, it was the first farm with organic seaweed in Denmark. Since September 2016 their organic kelp tablets have been available on the market (primarily in Denmark). 

Apart from the organic dietary supplements, Organic Seaweed uses seaweed as a basis for high-value products. The main mission is to continue to make products that are sustainable and good for the environment and for you!

The company is a primary producer of organic seaweed with an extensive knowledge about seaweed. Organic seaweed made test material on a 14-day basis to create a starting point for research on how much phlorotannic content is in the organic seaweed at any one time.

The company has been already approached by cosmetic companies (also non-organic) and distributors who would like to buy the seaweed extract, once it is available.

The idea

Currently the seaweed of Organic Seaweed is used for organic dietary supplements. The idea under the ALLIANCE is to develop a natural organic sunscreen extract from seaweed. This product could replace the chemical and physical filters used as sunscreens today, the product would be free of carcinogenic, mutagenic, reprotoxic (CRM) substances. Furthermore, the developed extract would be not allergenic and would reduce negative environmental impacts.

It is well known that brown algae contain phlorotannins that protect against harmful UV-A and -B sun rays. These active substances would be extracted by Organic Seaweed and used by their cosmetics clients in their products.

The need for a natural plant-based sunscreen is growing, as both the tradition chemical and physical filters are met with skepticism from consumers’ side. Organic Seaweed is aware that an extraction of a natural sun-filter from brown algae is possible. However, the technology and know-how to achieve a natural organic sunscreen which is cleared of CRM substances must be combined to obtain a marketable product.

I received support not only from my ALLIANCE mentors, but I also made a valuable contact to another ALLIANCE “case” involved into the cosmetics sector." -

• Mette Albrechtsen

  Organic Seaweed

 

The allies

The supporters of Organic Seaweed are the ALLIANCE mentors Danish Technological Institute (DTI) and University of Gothenburg (UGOT). Organic Seaweed corporates also with one ALLIANCE case partner Coastal Research Management.

The analysis made by UGOT of harvested seaweed shows a good content of phlorotannin. A new collaboration regarding Organic Seaweed existing product TANG (seaweed) tablet and harvesting of biomass for the German market via Coastal Research Management portfolio is possible and shows best practice example of the ALLIANCE network.

Organic Seaweed needs help to:

• document the content of phlorotannin our brown algae and its effect in protecting against harmful sunrays (UV A & UVB)
• find a method to suitably extract the bioactive substance from seaweed (choice of method, execution and documentation)
• protect the bioactive substance for storage (choice of method, execution and documentation)
• test the product for sun protection factor (SPF) and allergic reactions
• IPR/patenting
• understand EU regulation and requirements under applicable laws of ecology and cosmetics
• build up a network of relevant actors that will help get this product to market