Benefits
Supports firmness, supplier data
Improves elasticity, supplier testing
Improves hydration, supplier data
Supports suppleness and skin grain
Antioxidant activity in lab research
Collagenase and elastase inhibition shown
Best For
Mature or ageing skin
Skin lacking firmness or elasticity
Dry or dehydrated skin
Environmentally stressed skin
Dull or tired-looking skin
What Is Alaria Esculenta Extract?
Every day, skin is asked to maintain its structure while dealing with oxidative stress, environmental exposure and the gradual slowing of cellular activity that accompanies ageing. Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride (and) Alaria Esculenta Extract is a marine-derived active based on Alaria esculenta, developed to support skin firmness, suppleness and hydration while helping protect skin from oxidative and structural stress.
This natural, multifunctional active is oil-soluble, used at a recommended level of 1%, and is over 99% natural content according to ISO 16128. It is supplied preservative-free and used across face and body care.
How It Works
Alaria esculenta extracts have demonstrated antioxidant activity in laboratory research, alongside strong enzyme-inhibitory activity against collagenase and elastase, providing a plausible scientific basis for interest in skin firmness (Castejón et al., 2021).
A peer-reviewed study found that an Alaria esculenta extract reduced progerin production in aged human cutaneous cells under the experimental conditions used (Verdy et al., 2011). The Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride carrier also provides an oil-based emollient delivery system, contributing to skin feel.
Laboratory findings on an Alaria esculenta extract should not be presented as proof that every formulation containing it reduces wrinkles or increases collagen in consumers.
Why Formulation Matters
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride (and) Alaria Esculenta Extract is oil-soluble and suited to incorporation into anhydrous products and the oil phase of emulsions, at a recommended use level of 1%.
It should be incorporated into the oil phase or at a suitable cool-down stage, with unnecessary prolonged high-temperature exposure avoided. As the raw material is an oily liquid, finished-product colour, odour and oxidative stability should be assessed during stability testing, and packaging that limits exposure to oxygen and light may be beneficial in lipid-rich botanical formulas.
Scientific Notes
As with all cosmetic actives, it is worth distinguishing between evidence generated on the specific commercial Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride (and) Alaria Esculenta Extract material and evidence generated on Alaria esculenta extracts more generally.
Supplier technical literature reports anti-elastase, anti-collagenase and matricial-proteoglycan effects, along with volunteer-reported improvements in elasticity and firmness after one month, with 90% of volunteers perceiving improved firmness. These are supplier-provided findings.
Independently, a peer-reviewed study found strong in-vitro antioxidant and enzyme-inhibitory activity in Alaria esculenta extracts, including collagenase and elastase inhibition, though the extract and extraction method were not necessarily identical to the commercial material used in Nourish London formulations (Castejón et al., 2021; López-Hortas et al., 2021).
