Our Commitment to Protecting Our Oceans

As a brand whose name is inspired by nature’s elements—Ocean, Sun, Earth, Atmosphere—we have a distinct duty to protect the elements that sustain us. The ocean is both our ingredient source and our deepest inspiration. In the ’90s, when our founder, Jenefer Palmer, first discovered nutrient-dense Undaria seaweed in the pristine waters of Patagonia, she was inspired to harness the ocean’s healing powers. Nearly three decades ago, she combined pure, potent, seaweed with active botanicals to formulate our clean, clinically tested skincare from the sea.

Making Waves to Heal Our Planet

We know that healthy oceans are crucial to the protection of our planet. That’s why, in 2022, to honor and protect our most precious resource, we partnered with SeaTrees to help regenerate the health of our ocean and planet. Each year we invest in coastal restoration projects that sequester carbon from the atmosphere.

Why It Matters 

The ocean covers more than 70% of the Earth’s surface, generates over half the oxygen we breathe, and absorbs about 30% of the carbon dioxide we produce.¹ But it’s also in crisis. Warming waters, pollution, and deforestation of critical ecosystems like mangrove forests are pushing marine life and our shared climate toward a tipping point.

As a brand born from the sea, this is personal. We believe that clean skincare and sustainability are inseparable, and we’re committed to doing better for the planet, starting with its oceans.

The Ocean and Climate Change

One of the ocean’s superpower is its ability to sequester more carbon from the atmosphere than any other ecosystem on Earth.² Coastal ecosystems such as seaweed, seagrasses, mangrove trees, and salt marshes are remarkably efficient at capturing and storing carbon. They absorb it at a much faster rate than forests and can lock it away for millions of years.

But our ocean needs our help to be more effective. 

Our Partnership with SeaTrees

Through our partnership with SeaTrees, we help fund projects that restore and protect vital coastal ecosystems. These projects support biodiversity, protect shorelines, and provide meaningful livelihoods for local communities.

We’re proud to support:

• The Southern Cardamom REDD+ Project in Cambodia, which protects over 445,000 acres of tropical forest.³  This project reduces emissions, prevents deforestation, and safeguards the habitat of endangered species like the clouded leopard.
  
  
• Mangrove reforestation in Mida Creek, Kenya, where SeaTrees plants mangrove trees that can sequester up to four times more carbon than land trees.⁴ These blue forests also serve as nurseries for fish and natural buffers against coastal erosion.

Learn more about the impact of these projects here.

We’re Turning the Tides 

Our commitment to the ocean starts with our seaweed ingredients and carries through every step of our process. We are Climate Label Certified by The Change Climate Project., which means each year we measure our cradle-to-customer emissions, implement action plans and invest in high-quality, verified carbon credits.

Where & How Do We Source Our Seaweeds?

We source seaweed from around the world based on its high mineral content + scientific data and combine it with plant-based ingredients at clinically tested levels. Sustainable harvesting and manufacturing procedures include:

• We only harvest the base of the stipe to allow the algae to hold fast, regenerate and grow again.
• We only harvest during reproductive seasons in respect for the ecosystem and species renewal.
• We are conscious of and limit the use of energy and water to reduce waste during harvesting.
• We harvest in clean ecosystems. 

Through our ongoing partnership with SeaTrees, we’re continuously working to reduce our impact and give back to the ocean that sustains us. The ocean has always been our guide. Protecting it is the only way forward.

Sources

1. United Nations. "Why the Ocean Matters." United Nations Climate Action.

2. United Nations. “The ocean – the world’s greatest ally against climate change” 

3. SeaTrees. "Southern Cardamom REDD+ Project." SeaTrees.org.

4. SeaTrees. "Mida Creek Mangrove Project." SeaTrees.org.