Marine cosmetics and the blue bioeconomy: From sourcing to success stories

• Published in: iScience
• Main Authors: Rotter, Ana, Varamogianni-Mamatsi, Despoina, Zvonar Pobirk, Alenka, Gosenca Matjaž, Mirjam, Cueto, Mercedes, Díaz-Marrero, Ana Raquel, Jónsdóttir, Rósa, Sveinsdóttir, Kolbrún, Catalá, Teresa S., Romano, Giovanna, Aslanbay Guler, Bahar, Atak, Eylem, Berden Zrimec, Maja, Bosch, Daniel, Deniz, Irem, Gaudêncio, Susana P., Grigalionyte-Bembič, Ernesta, Klun, Katja, Zidar, Luen, Coll Rius, Anna, Baebler, Špela, Lukić Bilela, Lada, Rinkevich, Baruch, Mandalakis, Manolis
• Other Authors: European Cooperation in Science and Technology, Ocean4Biotech, European Commission, Slovenian Research Agency, Hellenic Foundation for Research and Innovation, General Secretariat for Research and Technology, Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (Portugal), The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Türkiye, Ministry of Education, Science and Youth of Sarajevo Canton, Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (España), Gobierno de Canarias
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Cell Press 2024
• Subjects: Earth sciences; aquatic science; biotechnology; marine biotechnology; materials science; Conserve and sustainably use the oceans; seas and marine resources for sustainable development; Iceland
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10261/373074; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.isci.2024.111339

As the global population continues to grow, so does the demand for longer, healthier lives and environmentally responsible choices. Consumers are increasingly drawn to naturally sourced products with proven health and wellbeing benefits. The marine environment presents a promising yet underexplored resource for the cosmetics industry, offering bioactive compounds with the potential for safe and biocompatible ingredients. This manuscript provides a comprehensive overview of the potential of marine organisms for cosmetics production, highlighting marine-derived compounds and their applications in skin/hair/oral-care products, cosmeceuticals and more. It also lays down critical safety considerations and addresses the methodologies for sourcing marine compounds, including harvesting, the biorefinery concept, use of systems biology for enhanced product development, and the relevant regulatory landscape. The review is enriched by three case studies: design of macroalgal skincare products in Iceland, establishment of a microalgal cosmetics spin-off in Italy, and the utilization of marine proteins for cosmeceutical applications. This publication is based upon work from COST Action CA18238 (Ocean4Biotech), supported by COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology) program. This publication is based upon work from Ocean4Biotech, the professional association joining marine biotechnologists. A.R., E.G.B., D.B., L.Z., K.K., A.Z.P., M.G.M., Š.B., and A.C.R.: This publication was produced with financial assistance of the Interreg MED Programme, co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (Project No. 8MED20_4.1_SP_001, internal ref. 8MED20_4.1_SP_001)—B-Blue project. This publication has been produced with financial assistance from the Interreg Euro-MED Programme, co-funded by the European Union (Project No. Euro-MED 0200514) – 2B-BLUE project. The authors acknowledge the financial support of the Slovenian Research Agency (research core funding No. P1-0189, P4-0432, P4-0165, and project L4-4564). A.R., ...