Sea Moss Extract
INCI name: Chondrus Crispus (Sea Moss) Extract
Purposes: Humectant, Film-Forming Agent, Skin-Conditioning Agent
Irish sea moss, rich in polysaccharides. Leaves a light hydrating film so the skin stays comfortable through cleansing.
Chondrus crispus, better known as Irish moss or sea moss, is a red seaweed harvested along the North Atlantic coast. It has been used in food and folk medicine for centuries, largely because of what it does in water: it forms a gel.
That gelling comes from carrageenan-type polysaccharides, long sugar chains that hold many times their weight in water. On skin, they form a light, breathable film that slows how quickly water evaporates from the surface.
This is why it belongs in a cleanser rather than only in a moisturiser. The problem with most cleansers is not that they fail to clean, it is that they leave the skin surface stripped and permeable afterwards. A polysaccharide film deposited during the wash means the skin does not feel tight when you towel off.
Sea moss also carries trace minerals and amino acids from seawater.
