Origin: 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
By Flavia Zhamo, Founder of EC Studios
I have always struggled with my skin, from eczema to acne there is always something going on. But strangely enough, every time I spend time back home in Albania everything cleared up. Could it be that I was just not made for Canada? That would be a far-fetched conclusion. As I kept thinking about what the reason for my issues could be, I was struck by the obvious answer as the Ionian Sea swept me along the shore. It was seawater. I have a deep admiration for the ocean, I even believe it was our first home but that is a story for a different day.
Inspired by my conclusions, I set out to prove it. 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 of 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 sea water. These minerals are essential for many functions such as cellular respiration and perservation, 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.
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