The gel isn't one ingredient. It's four kinds of things from the kelp, and each does a different job. Most of the work happens on the very top layer of your skin.
Gold film on top, minerals in the outer layer, the calming parts reaching a little deeper.
A long chain of sugar that makes kelp slippery and holds a lot of water. On your face it dries into a thin, soft film that breathes and slows water escaping from your skin. That's the instant smooth, plump feeling. It's very gentle, even on sensitive skin.
In lab tests it calms irritation, helps skin cells grow, and blocks the enzymes that sun uses to break down collagen. Ecklonia maxima's own fucoidan sped up skin-cell repair in the lab. Human trials so far used other seaweeds: less water loss after 3 weeks, less redness.
Only brown seaweed makes these. Ecklonia maxima's are called dieckol and eckmaxol. In the lab they protect cells from sun damage, calm inflammation and slow dark-spot pigment.
Your skin doesn't "eat" minerals. They stay in the outer layer, and that's where they help. Your skin's own moisture-holding mix is partly salts, and the minerals top it up so skin keeps water longer.
| Mineral | On skin |
|---|---|
| Magnesium | The best-studied one. Bathing in magnesium-rich Dead Sea salt improved skin's barrier and hydration and reduced roughness and redness (human trial, 2005). |
| Calcium | Signals skin cells to build and repair the protective outer layer. |
| Potassium & sodium | Salts that draw in water and hold it in the outer layer, like your skin's own moisturiser. |
| Zinc | Small amounts. Known for calming skin and helping it heal. |
| Iodine | Kelp is rich in it. Not there for your skin. It's why we ask you to try the gel on your inner arm first if you react to seaweed or iodine. |
Pour generously into your palms. Rub them together, then press onto your face. Keep the bottle in the fridge.
Just Cape kelp and water. Nothing else.
Empty bottle? Bring it back for a refill. WhatsApp 082 777 9973 · oceanstouch.me
Sources: Premarathna et al. 2024 (Food Hydrocolloids), Wang et al. 2020 (Antioxidants 9:724) and 2022 (Marine Drugs) on Ecklonia maxima; Kim et al. 2018 (Marine Drugs 16:286); J Cosmet Dermatol 2024 (Sargassum fucoidan); Proksch et al. 2005 (Int J Dermatol) on Dead Sea salt.