The Question of Kelp

Amongst other seaweeds, we use Sugar Kelp (Saccharina latissima) in our work, I have waxed lyrical about it for years. It is a beautiful seaweed for the skin, the polysaccharides offering amazing hydration and softness plus they create a protective barrier on the skin helping to retain moisture. Think of it as an alternative hyaluronic acid only much gentler. 

 

More than that Sugar Kelp contains a compound called Fucoidan which is a particularly wonderful polysaccharide, only found in brown seaweeds, which has anti-photoaging, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory properties. 

 

Then there are the amazing phlorotannins which are potent anti-oxidants protecting the skin form damage and stimulating collagen production. 

 

Understanding what plants have to offer is the lifeblood of A.S Apothecary, it helps us to find really effective treatment plans and beautiful ritual to suit all our wonderful clients. We know that used in the right way, treated with respect and used with a full appreciation of their properties plants, like Sugar Kelp can make a real difference to your skin.

 

It was with some intrigue and then frustration that I saw a product last week. It was a Kelp Mask cut into a face shape. It was in 2 pieces, one cut for the upper face with eye holes, the other for the mouth and chin. Initially I was quite excited, Kelp as a mask would work if soaked and then applied, then I read the ingredients list which I assumed would be just the Kelp but instead there were 32 ingredients. 

 

None of them were nasty, but almost all of them were unnecessary and a real failure to understand the exceptional properties of the Kelp itself. Spreading so many ingredients onto Kelp from Aloe vera to Angelica root was such an immense waste of such a beautiful seaweed. Cutting those beautiful leaves into face shapes would create so much waste, only for them to be chucked away. 

 

We seem to have moved into a time in green beauty where more is perceived as better - endless extracts and exotic oils, all produced not by the makers or indeed small producers but by big biotech. We are moving further and further away from understanding and appreciating what incredible results can be derived from plants organically grown and processed in house or by other small producers.

 

Kelp of all varieties are incredible seaweeds, they play a significant part in ocean biodiversity as you can see below. We harvest about 20kg wet weight a year from the seas around the island. Every single bit is used whether it's in Wild Eve, the Atlantic Ocean Tea or the Blemish Resolve Cream. We also distil it for the Isle of Harris Distillery Sugar Kelp Aromatic Water which is the key serve for their gin. After distilling, the left over Kelp is used in the greenhouse to feed our plants, the remaining water in the Still is made into soap. 

 

We really need to start thinking about the effects of our consumption on our environment and more than that we need to understand that less really is more in the right hands. It's less about intricate formulations and far more about the right plants used well. The results from that are both stunning and sustainable.