Big Kelp Hydration: Infusing sustainability and transparency into skin care

According to a 2023 report by consumer intelligence firm NIQ, 73% of consumers prefer to buy from brands that demonstrate a commitment to environmental and social responsibility. Macro Oceans, a California-based ingredient manufacturer with a mission to advance eco-friendly beauty ingredients, introduces Big Kelp Hydration—an innovative product derived from Alaska kelp.

In this CosmeticsDesign Q&A, Matthew Perkins, Founder and CEO of Macro Oceans, provides insights into the development of Big Kelp Hydration, its benefits for the skin care market, and how the company ensures its ingredient's sustainability and traceability in the clean beauty space. 

CDU: Can you provide a brief overview of Macro Oceans and its mission in the beauty ingredient industry, particularly how it benefits manufacturers and suppliers?

Matthew Perkins (MP)​: I founded Macro Oceans in 2020 to help build a lower carbon economy. After a career in terrestrial agriculture, it seemed crazy to me that seaweed — a hyper regenerative crop — wasn’t being used to power more everyday products.

Our first product is a bioactive cosmetic ingredient made from farmed Alaska kelp. It’s an incredible bioactive ingredient that does wonders for the skin and is also truly clean and sustainable.  

CDU: What inspired the development of Big Kelp Hydration, and how does it address the current demands of the cosmetics and personal care market?​

MP​: Big Kelp Hydration was inspired by the need for sustainable, high-performance hydration ingredients in the cosmetics industry and the deep academic research on the benefits of kelp polysaccharides​ for skin care. We thought the two of these together gave us the opportunity to deliver the perfect clean beauty ingredient: highly effective, traceable, and sustainable.  

CDU: How does Macro Oceans ensure traceability and transparency in the production of Big Kelp Hydration, and why is this important for manufacturers and suppliers?

MP​: Macro Oceans ensures traceability and transparency through our fully integrated supply chain. We work directly with local Alaska kelp farmers and label every bottle with the farmer's name, location, and harvest season.

This level of detail is great for our customers because it gives them visibility, but more importantly, it helps us stay on top of our supply chain. We expect to know where all of the seaweed in our product came from. 

CDU: Can you elaborate on how traceability influences consumer trust and purchasing decisions, and how this trend benefits beauty brands?

MP​: Consumers have a lot of concerns about greenwashing, in some cases for good reasons. Traceability and supply chain visibility are a way for them to verify what a brand is saying about how their products are made. The details help them to understand the origins of the product and decide whether or not it matches their values.

Brands that are able to give users this level of visibility can build deeper and more enduring connections with their customers. In addition, they protect themselves from supply chain scandals — if you understand your ingredients and how they’re made, you’re unlikely to be taken by surprise and have to make drastic changes.

CDU: Could you describe the kelp cultivation process in more detail? How do local kelp farmers contribute to the sustainability of your supply chain?

MP​: Kelp cultivation is a low-impact process that requires no freshwater, land, fertilizers, or pesticides. Local farmers seed kelp spores onto lines in the fall, which grow throughout the winter and are harvested in the summer. This process not only produces our raw material but also benefits the local marine ecosystem by removing carbon from the oceans, providing ocean habitat, and reducing ocean acidification.

In addition to the environmental benefits, kelp farming provides economic opportunity for coastal communities outside of the commercial fishing season. 

CDU: What specific steps does Macro Oceans take to ensure sustainable kelp sourcing, and how can this benefit manufacturers seeking sustainable ingredients?

MP​: We’re lucky to be able to source from Alaska that has a good framework for the permitting of seaweed farms. For instance, farmers are only allowed to grow species that grow naturally within 50 km of the site that they’re permitted for to ensure that invasive species aren’t introduced into the environment.

Additionally, the water in Alaska is pristine — because there isn’t a lot of heavy industry nearby, we’re able to get really high quality seaweed without heavy metal issues.

We are proud to partner with Greenwave, an industry non-profit that helps seaweed farmers implement sustainable practices. This is a real partnership — they’ve helped connect us with the farmers we are working with and we’re doing an R&D project with them on ways to safely store seaweed without freezing or drying it, helping to reduce energy use and processing costs.

CDU: What makes fucoidan and laminarin effective as bioactive ingredients in Big Kelp Hydration, and how can manufacturers leverage these benefits in their product lines?

MP​: Fucoidan and laminarin are complex polysaccharides naturally present in kelp. These polysaccharides help protect the kelp from external stressors: drying out, abrasions or pollution, and sun damage.

These polysaccharides show similar benefits to skin in the academic research: they lock in and retain moisture, provide skin soothing and anti-inflammation benefits, and protect from UVB exposure.

CDU: Could you share some key findings from the recent in-vivo clinical study on Big Kelp Hydration's efficacy, and how do these findings support marketing claims for manufacturers?

MP​: We recently worked with a third party to support our claims of product efficacy. The study was carried on on 33 individuals aged between 18 and 45 with moderate to olive skin complexions. It was administered by a third party as a controlled, double-blind experiment. 

The experiment compared a 3% dose of Big Kelp Hydration to a placebo, measuring its impacts on skin hydration, the skin barrier, and skin luminosity immediately upon application and at 4, 8, and 24 hours.

Overall, Big Kelp Hydration demonstrated statistically significant effects compared to the placebo on everything we tested (hydration, skin barrier and luminosity) at each measurement during the 24 hour period.

Particularly impressive were the immediate results: +80% improvement in skin hydration and +26% improvement in skin barrier moisturization. The immediate impacts are particularly important to brands because it means consumers will feel the results as soon as they apply the product to their skin.

CDU: How does sourcing and processing ingredients within the US enhance the sustainability profile and reliability of Macro Oceans' supply chain, and what advantages does this offer to manufacturers in terms of lead times and supply security?

MP​: Being entirely US based is a huge advantage for us. It provides greater control over our supply chain, ensuring consistent quality and reliability

Manufacturers benefit from this as well; it means shorter lead times, more secure supply, and the ability to market products as supporting coastal communities in the United States.

CDU: What future developments or innovations can we expect from Macro Oceans, and how do these align with the evolving needs of the cosmetics industry?

MP​: Our plan is to continue to provide the beauty industry with products that have both functional excellence and traceability / sustainability. This looks like continuing to expand our bioactive line and moving into other product areas that matter to beauty brands.