Surf’s up! Why the ocean is primed to give your skin a big boost

There are millions (if not zillions) of microorganisms taking up residence on your face—sounds icky but it’s true. And it’s a good thing, when you care for them correctly. It’s your skin’s microbiome, and has been buzzing for a while as the key to a glowy complexion (you know, with probiotic-infused beauty products and skin care that doesn’t strip your barrier).

But One Ocean Beauty, a clean skin-care brand that launched just last week, believes the next frontier for your complexion actually stems from the ocean. “The ocean has the largest biodiversity on earth,” says Marcella Cacci, the brand’s founder and CEO. “We’re just scratching the surface of what’s out there and understanding how the organisms work together.” So we only partially know how beneficial the sea creatures and plants can be for your glow.

One way they can make an impact? Through their survival capabilities. “Most of the properties we find are survival mechanisms,” Cacci explains. “They survive in extreme environments, protecting themselves from the cold and retaining moisture.” She harnesses the glyoprotein, as it’s called, to defend your skin and to keep things hydrated. “Depending on what active ingredient you’re using, there are different benefits,” she says. “The overall perks are that they increase collagen synthesis, reduce fine lines and wrinkles, increase elasticity, and retain moisture.”

The brand has a line that’s supposed to work as a system; It includes a sea serum, ocean mist cleanser, eye revival marine cream, deep sea moisturizer, and marine collagen tablets (all range from $38 to $98). And, because it’s so passionate about the world’s oceans, One Ocean Beauty is doing its part to give back—and try to preserve the natural resources. (They harness microorganisms’ skin-boosting properties via biotechnology, not harvesting from the ocean itself so nothing is harmed.)

“We’ve been working with Oceana [the largest non-profit ocean conservancy group] since before the products have been developed,” says Cacci. “We’re not only donating, we’re working with them on other projects. And we built a 250 thousand dollar donation into the structure of our company that can’t be changed.” Besides that, the brand has donate buttons all over its website, as well as a blog that informs customers of other ways they can help reduce their impact on the ocean.

“We just want to create clean, effective beauty products and do what we can to save the ocean,” says Cacci. One thing’s for sure: They’re definitely putting significant drops into the well (and your skin’s benefitting for it).

Further protect the sea by using these reef-safe sunscreens and by reducing your plastic trash.