Innovative phytoplankton is a new ally for oily skin

The sea is full of undiscovered secrets. This salty environment created ideal conditions for the growth of microalgae, which had to develop defenses against dehydration.

Microalgae, also known as phytoplankton, are a perfect example of a defense response to salty seawater with newly discovered benefits for combination and oily skin.

One of the main drivers of most problems with oily and combination skin is poor-quality and thick sebum, which disrupts the skin's natural balance. In addition, it clogs pores, resulting in the development of open and closed comedones.

A sequence of such symptoms on the skin disrupts its very structure, that is, the structural proteins of the skin barrier.

The skin is then unable to perform its protective function normally and finds itself in a vicious cycle of healing and creating new irregularities, because we often treat these irregularities with aggressive and drying ingredients.

To find a gentle yet effective solution, we turned to the preventive method. The preventive method is a new approach to the care of oily and reactive skin prone to blemishes, which aims to prevent problems before they occur.

That's why we want to introduce you to phytoplankton, which acts directly on the very source of excessive sebum production, that is, on sebocytes.

What are sebocytes?

Sebocytes are cells in our skin, responsible for lipogenesis - the process of creating sebum.

Sebum produced by sebocytes in normal skin is light and airy, protecting the skin barrier, but in oily skin it is very thick and can lead to disruption of the skin barrier.

Why does thick sebum form?

In the process of sebum production (lipogenesis), we are interested in the enzyme COX-2. If it is overactive, it starts to stimulate the production of unwanted lipids that promote irregularities.

The thick sebum that is then created is full of such lipids that can cause an imbalance on the entire facial skin.

These are all ideal conditions that lead to disruption of the skin barrier and the formation of comedones.

What is the solution for thick sebum?

Phytoplankton has a targeted effect on sebocytes, reducing the process of creating thick sebum in the sebocytes themselves.

With this method, phytoplankton acts preventively by reducing the possibility of the formation of lipids that promote irregularities and therefore has a soothing effect.

What exactly is phytoplankton?

Phytoplankton is a green microalgae (Tetraselmis Suecica) that, at very low concentrations (up to 2.5%), is extremely effective in reducing sebum secretion and promoting the strengthening of the skin structure and thus the barrier.

How does phytoplankton work?

Phytoplankton has a dual effect on the skin. It reduces the production of thick sebum and stimulates the production of structural proteins that are essential for a strong and healthy skin barrier.

By reducing the activity of the COX-2 enzyme, phytoplankton preventively solves the problems of oily skin at its source by reducing the formation of unwanted lipids in sebocytes and thick sebum.

This is when transparent sebum is created, which supports skin processes and protects it from drying out (1).

Phytoplankton also supports the skin barrier by stimulating the synthesis of the structural protein filaggrin, which is important for a strong skin barrier, thus helping to maintain a healthy skin barrier (2) which is necessary to prevent dehydration and balance oily skin.

Literature

1. Cardoso, C., etal. "Lipid composition and some bioactivities of 3 newly isolated microalgae (Tetraselmissp. IMP3, Tetraselmissp. CTP4, and Skeletonemasp.)." Aquaculture International 28.2 (2020): 711-727.

2. Sansone, Clementina, etal. "The green micro alga Tetra selmis suecica reduces oxidative stress and induces repairing mechanisms in human cells." Scientific reports 7.1 (2017): 1-12.