the power of the sea

ORIGINS: France
CERTIFICATIONS: COSMOS, Vegan, Sustainably-Sourced, Clean @ Ulta, Credo, Sephora
BENEFITS: Remineralizes, Detoxifies, Strengthens, Anti-inflammatory, Reduces the look of pores
FOUND IN: Eye Concentrate, Morning Vitamins

The Story

I’ve been struggling with skin issues since we moved to Canada in 2001. First came eczema triggered by the dry cold Canadian Winters and next came acne as I went through puberty. Strangely enough, every time I was  back home in Albania, specifically the beach, everything always cleared up. When we would hurt ourselves as children, our parents would tell us that seawater would heal us. Many scrapes and bruises later, I still associate the sea with its healing properties. When I returned in 2021, my diasporic family gathered on the Albanian Riviera for a reunion. It was there seeing Silky Water beside the horizon of the Ionian Sea that struck me with awe. Being away for two years from the sea due to Covid was devastating for me and my skin, so I decided to capture it in a bottle.

Fast forward a few weeks back in Toronto, I reached out to all of our suppliers seeking out research and raw ingredients. I came across Mineralys, an active from my favourite supplier, Barent. Sourced from Noirmoutier Island on the West Coast of France, this deep seawater was beyond special. Referred to as the Island of Mimosas, it is a small preserved island approximately 25 kilometres long. Mineralys is deep sea water which penetrates through the earth's crust travelling through different geological layers and absorbing a large number of minerals making it even more mineral rich than just seawater. These minerals are essential for many functions such as cellular respiration and preservation, oxygen transport, and metabolism of amino acids. High in purity it provides the skin with all the minerals it needs including magnesium, calcium, potassium, zinc, chromium, selenium, and vanadium.

General Benefits

At these great depths, there are fewer microorganisms in the water that use up the minerals, resulting in greater concentrations of the minerals remaining in the water. These increased mineral concentrations of DSW yield additional benefits. Your skin uses these minerals to assist in skin repair, detoxification, and new growth.

Deep seawater can also be considered to be more sanitary, as it is also far from solar radiation, leaving minimal to no bacterial activity in the water. Research also has shown that deep sea water has promising effects on antibacterial activity

The Science

The use of deep sea water has led to the improvement of symptoms such as inflammation (edema), redness (erythema), dryness, itchiness, and transepidermal water loss of the skin. Additionally, deep sea water has been beneficial in improving symptoms of other skin conditions such as eczema and psoriasis, reducing lichenification (hardening of the skin in rough patches) and skin cracking.

By restoring essential minerals, deep sea water can also help reduce allergic skin responses. The application of deep sea water can reduce the expression of interleukins (IL), which are immune signalling molecules. When your bodies encounter a pathogen or a foreign molecule, your immune cells detect it and secrete molecules to signal your body to respond appropriately to eliminate it. In the case of allergies, your body incorrectly identifies a molecule as “harmful”, and initiates the immune response, resulting in the traditional allergy symptoms (swelling, redness, etc). Deep sea water helps reduce this immune response to an allergen by reducing the expression of IL-4 and IL-2 from immune cells.

Protection from Sun Damage: UV Radiation and Skin Cancer

Ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun is a major inducer of skin cancer. This is why sunscreen is an essential component of any skincare routine. However, blocking these harmful rays completely is unattainable, so the recovery and removal of UV-damaged skin cells are also important. Deep sea water promotes UVB-damaged skin cell clearance by activation of the immune system, helping clear damage caused by UV radiation quicker. Consequently, deep sea water may be implicated in preventing UV-induced skin cancer development.