Wakame is known in the skincare industry for its preservative and healing effects on aging skin, its ability to detoxify pollutants, its moisturizing qualities, the soothing and minimizing effects on acne, eczema, psoriasis and rosacea and also its ability to minimize the appearance of cellulite.
Undaria pinnatifida (aka wakame and alaria) is one of the brown seaweed species, and like other brown seaweeds it has a high concentration of amino acids, vitamins, trace elements and minerals. Its superpowers are anti-inflammatory, anti-viral, anti-bacterial, anti-ageing and antioxidant properties. It also contains the skin-loving polysacharride fucoidan, which we talk in depth here.
It also happens to be easily harvested on a low tide along the coast of British Columbia.
7 reasons you should be including Wakame in your skincare regimen
Anti-Ageing
Undaria pinnatifida preserves, protects and repairs your youthful skin. It contains fucoidan which helps regenerate collagen, plumping up your skin. It has a high concentration of antioxidants to prevent any free radical damage and slow the speed of cellular degradation and it detoxifies your skin giving your elastin its spring-back quality.
Detoxification
Undaria pinnatifida can detoxify our skin and body in two ways: eating it and applying it directly to our skin. When used in skincare, alaria cleanses the skin and rids the cells of any unwanted guests. It does this by flooding the skin cells with a nutrient-dense broth and then surrounding toxic waste in soluble fibers which are pushed into the blood to be processed by our liver before being expelled completely. This broth gives your skin strength to protect itself from impurities it may encounter in the future, so the more regularly you use seaweed in your skincare, the less your skin will require detoxification.
Moisturising
One of the most powerful things we can do for our skin is keep it hydrated, and seaweed does a great job of this. We mentioned earlier that one of alaria’s components- fucoidan- has been studied extensively for its moisturizing properties, it is 200% more hydrating than hydroxy acids. Its polysaccharides act as a humectant, forming a lasting film on the skin similar to aloe but much better. Humectants form a layer on the surface of your skin and continuously hydrate throughout the day, drawing moisture into your skin.
It also contains high amounts of Vitamins C and E which help keep the skin moisturized.
Prevention of Acne
Alaria’s superpowers are its antibacterial and antioxidation qualities as well as its ability to easily detoxify the skin. All of these qualities play a significant role in keeping your skin clear and free of unwanted visitors that clog up your pores. What’s more, seaweed has the same mineral content as our blood plasma. This makes the exchange and absorption far more effective of what you apply to your skin, as it promotes movement of the good nutrients into your pores, and the bad pollutants out of them. The constant flooding of good antibacterial and antioxidant nutrients keeps that bad bacteria from ever setting foot in your pores. Keeping these “pore-tals” open prevents blockages that cause acne.
Our Sealuxe Seaweed face masks and our Protect facial oil can help your acne-prone skin if you are struggling in this area.
Skin Pigmentation
Undaria pinnatifida seaweed can help cure damaged skin, regenerate skin cells and produce new healthy cells to eliminate dark areas on your skin. Vitamins B and C and other antioxidants aid in healing the skin and removing pigmentation that has grown due to prolonged exposure to the sun’s rays.
Skin Irritation Issues
The negative effects of eczema, rosacea and psoriasis can all be reduced from the use alaria applied topically. While it’s still important to determine the root cause of these skin issues (which is often diet-related) wakame can help soothe the irritation instantly and lesson the redness and inflammation. If your skin is experiencing irregularities such as those mentioned above, (or for any significant skin dryness) wakame is the best source for hydration because it will give you the moisture and protection you need without the risk of further skin irritation.
Cellulite reductions
Alaria is rich in chlorophyll and niacin; these two components are what gives you that bum-smoothing effect. You’ll find this seaweed included as the hero ingredient in most if not all the anti-cellulite treatments because it stimulates circulation of the blood promoting vasodilation, lymphatic movement and increased oxygenation of the cells
Wakame is a natural source of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and amino acids that help nourish the skin and it happens to grow abundantly along the coast of British Columbia. We use this seaweed in a lot of our body and skincare products.
Balance facial oil contains this potent seaweed as well as our other facial oils. When you use our products that contain Alaria you are protecting your skin by giving it strength and nourishment while ensuring that it’s fresh and glowing- Shop our products today!
Summary
Known in the skincare industry for its preservative and healing effects on aging skin, Undaria pinnatifida (aka alaria, aka wakame) is a critical ingredient in many Sealuxe products. A champion ingredient in the skincare industry, alaria is celebrated for its anti-ageing, detoxifying, and moisturising qualities, but it’s so much more. It has also proven to be beneficial as a treatment for acne, skin pigmentation, cellulite, and common skin irritation issues like eczema, rosacea and psoriasis