Anti-Aging Properties of Seaweeds

Aging is a natural phenomenon that occurs due to diverse changes in cells and tissues over time, and it is impossible to halt or reverse the process. However, extrinsic skin aging, caused by environmental factors, is largely preventable. Natural products have long been used in skin anti-aging treatments. Seaweeds are multicellular, large-sized marine organisms that have a variety of economic values. They are used in cosmetics, cosmeceuticals, and nutricosmetics due to their versatility and richness in valuable bioactive compounds and other nutrients found in different species of seaweed. This category includes phenolic compounds [flavonoids (flavones, flavanols, flavanones, flavonols, anthocyanins, isoflavones); non-flavonoids (tannins, phlorotannins, lignans & stilbenes)], polysaccharides (sulfated galactans, ulvan, sulphuric acid polysaccharides, alginic acid, carrageenans, fucoidan or sulfated fucose, laminarin), peptides and amino acids, fatty acids (docosahexaenoic acid, eicosapentaenoic acid, stearidonic acid and eicosatrienoic acid), vitamins (vitamin B: B1, B2, B3, B5, B6 & B8, vitamin C, vitamin E), vitamin precursors (α-tocopherol, βcarotene, lutein, and zeaxanthin), pigments (chlorophylls, xanthophylls, and carotenoids), and minerals. The presence of these important bioactive compounds plays important roles in cosmeceutical applications by mediating antioxidant, photoprotective, anti-wrinkling, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, anti-collagenase, anti-elastase, and anti-metalloproteinase activities through multiple pathways. Furthermore, seaweed nutrients play vital roles in nutricosmetics and are also involved in vital technical features such as moisturizing, thickening, gelling, and emulsifying effects in different skincare products. This chapter specifically describes the skin antiaging properties of seaweeds via different biological activities due to their unique composition.

Keywords: Anti-aging, Bio-activities, Cosmetics, Cosmeceuticals, Nutricosmetics, Seaweeds, Skin anti-aging.