What Are Sea Moss Benefits for Your Skin?

Last updated on November 2, 2022

If you’ve been eating sea moss for a while, you may have noticed unexpected improvements in your skin appearance. Well, it’s no hazard. Sea moss is not good for health only. It's also a fantastic beauty ingredient with incredible benefits for your skin.

Changes occur rapidly when you ingest sea moss or apply its gel onto your skin. Sea moss, scientifically called Chondrus crispus, is packed with minerals and vitamins that nourish the skin and provide it with nutrients it rarely gets from other skin care products.

Besides being naturally moisturizing and anti-inflammatory, this skincare powerhousehelps treat numerous skin conditions, including acne, eczema, and psoriasis. But that's not even it! Sea moss is also one of the best sources of plant-based collagen to slow down skin aging and promote skin elasticity.

So, let’s get to what you came here for and go through the extensive list of sea moss benefits for the skin. Then, learn how to use it properly to get the most out of it!

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6 Great Benefits of Sea Moss for Your Skin 

Sea moss contains 92 minerals and vitamins, including several with exceptional skin properties such as sulfur, vitamin E, A, C, and B complex, omega-3 fatty acids, zinc, and more.

Chondrus crispus has been used as a natural skin care product by the Irish and Jamaican people for centuries. It has great beauty benefits and soothing, moisturizing, and anti-inflammatory properties. In addition, it helps prevent skin aging and treat various skin conditions such as acne, psoriasis, or eczema.

But let's dig the topic deeper and see what sea moss can do for your skin.

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1. A natural skin moisturizer & protector

Sea moss gel is an efficient all-natural skin moisturizer that forms a protective yet non-occlusive film onto the skin.

Seaweeds, in general, have proven to be exceptional skin humectants[1]. More particularly, sea moss's moisturizing properties come from its high amount of carrageenans(polysaccharides), widely used in the cosmetic industry. Their water-binding properties hold water and moisture to the skin instead of letting it evaporate.

Besides, sea moss is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which are essential for the skin's natural moisture. The vitamins A, C, E, and K it contains in significant amounts transform the skin from being dry and dull to becoming soft and glowing. Vitamin E is sought-after in dermatology products; it softens the skin and reduces swelling and redness. 

Ultimately, applying sea moss gel on your skin weekly, or even daily, helps rejuvenate the skin and restore its natural barrier.

Related article: Why your kids should eat sea moss too!

2. A safe non-comedogenic skincare product  

Sea moss gel is 100% natural and contains nothing more than sea moss and water. It's obtained by soaking dry sea moss in water and blending it until it becomes a gel-like substance that is easy to apply topically.

The minerals and vitamins in sea moss are enough to nourish the skin and maintain a healthy skin complexion without putting your health at risk with carcinogens, irritants, endocrine disrupters, and other harmful ingredients often found in skincare products.

Unlike industrial skincare products, sea moss gel is non-comedogenic, which means it does not clog your pores and helps keep breakouts, pimples, and acne issues at bay.

It’s very safe, gentle, and non-aggressive, making it suitable for all skin types, even the most sensitive ones. But if you have sensitive skin, always use wildcrafted organic sea moss gel. Pool-grown sea moss (fake sea moss) may contain toxins that could irritate your skin. Besides, it's very poor in nutrients compared to natural sea moss, and you would not get as many skin benefits from it. 

Organics Nature Sea Moss Gel is 100% Wildcrafted in Saint Lucia 

3. Anti-aging, tightening, and collagen-boosting

Like Trifluoro acetyl Tripeptide-2, a harmful chemical found in many anti-aging skincare products, sea moss also acts like a skin tightening agent, but without dangerous side effects.

Many sea moss users claim it’s like using a natural form of Botox. Its high magnesium, potassium, vitamin A, K, and E content significantly helps reduce wrinkles and make the skin feel and look younger.

Additionally, Irish moss is one of the best sources of plant-based collagen. While it does not contain collagen itself, many of its micro and macronutrients, like zinc and vitamin C, are known to increase the body’s collagen production[2]. This is another great benefit of sea moss for the skin as it helps improve its elasticity and keep it younger. 

Related article: 5 warning signs your body lacks collagen

Organics Nature Irish moss Powder Enriched with Collagen Peptides 

4. Sea moss is an excellent acne-fighter

Whether applied topically or ingested orally, sea moss helps balance the skin's microbiome and oil production. As a result, it's one of the best natural acne-fighting skin products.

The reason is that sea moss is high in sulfur, the #1 mineral used to treat acne. Sulfur works similarly to pharmaceutical acne treatments like benzoyl peroxide or salicylic acid, but it's gentler on the skin and causes no side effects.

The sulfur in sea moss gel dries out the skin's top layer (without affecting the deep moisture) and absorbs excess sebum. It sloughs dead skin away and prevents it from blocking the pores.

Due to sulfur and other essential skin nutrients, sea moss gel is also anti-bacterial and fights Propionibacterium, the primary bacteria responsible for acne breakouts and pimples. In mild cases of acne, results are often seen within a week.

Besides being efficient, sea moss is very gentle, non-aggressive, and safe to use on sensitive skin with acne.

Related article: How to use sea moss gel for acne and pimples?

5. A natural remedy for eczema and psoriasis 

Home remedies to manage skin conditions like eczema and psoriasis are numerous but often inefficient in the long run.

Sea moss's soothing and anti-inflammatory properties relieve anyone suffering from these skin disorders. In addition, sea moss is very effective regarding eczema, psoriasis, and skin allergies.

As usual, we recommend consulting your dermatologist before applying sea moss gel if you suffer from severe eczema or psoriasis. Sea moss is a natural solution that helps with mild forms, but severe cases may need medications.

6. Sea moss gel heals skin wounds

Sea moss contains high levels of zinc, an anti-inflammatory mineral known to boost the skin healing process. When applied topically on minor wounds, sea moss gel helps speed up the healing process. As a result, the skin recovers faster and is less likely to have nasty scars. Zinc is commonly used in dermatology for topical wound healing creams. 

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How to Use Sea Moss for Skin

The skin benefits of sea moss can be achieved by consuming it orally or applying its gel extract topically. Indeed, the body can absorb its minerals both internally and externally. The best method depends on your skin condition and why you want to use sea moss on your skin.

For general skin improvement and anti-aging effects, we usually recommend our customers eat sea moss powder enriched with collagen peptides.

For localized skin problems like pimples, breakouts, allergic reactions, redness, minor wounds, or others, applying sea moss gel topically on the affected area is sometimes more efficient.

There are lots of different sea moss beauty and skin care products available or easy to make at home.

Sea moss gel face masks

Like many other natural skincare ingredients, you can use pure sea moss gel on its own as a face mask to reap its skin benefits.

1. Apply a thin layer of cool sea moss gel onto clean and dry skin.
2. Leave on for 10-20 minutes until the gel starts to dry and tightens your skin.
3. Rinse thoroughly with warm water and gently dry your skin.

For more sea moss face mask recipes, read our related article.

Sea moss pills for skin

As said above, your skin also greatly benefits from oral sea moss supplements. You can take regular sea moss capsules or choose specific ones specially formulated for skin purposes. The latest are usually enriched with other skincare ingredients like collagen peptides, for example.

Similarly, if you don’t like the pills or capsules, you can eat sea moss gel pure or add it to your food and drink recipes.

Most people see their skin appearance improve after 1 to 2 weeks of taking sea moss pills or eating sea moss gel.

More sea moss skin and beauty products

Like in foods and drinks, sea moss gel is very easily incorporated into cosmetic products. For example, you can add sea moss to your face cream, serum, body butter, body wash, or even make your own sea moss soap bar!

Be aware, though, that sea moss gel is aqueous and expires. Therefore, it can quickly go bad when mixed with oily solutions. To avoid that problem, adding the gel to your cream just before applying it is best.

FAQs About Sea Moss Skin Benefits

While sea moss is safe, applying any new product to your skin can be daunting, especially on the face. So, here are a few more frequently asked questions our team of experts answers for you. If you have any doubts, do not hesitate to ask in the comment section below!

Is sea moss safe on the skin?

Yes, sea moss is safe on the skin. It’s an excellent skin care product that’s 100% natural, gentle, safe, and efficient. The numerous minerals and vitamins in sea moss gel deeply nourish the skin more than any industrial face cream.

There are no nasty ingredients in Chondrus crispus. It contains no artificial fragrances, parabens, preservatives, phthalates, chemicals, skin irritants, etc.

When applied topically, sea moss gel has few side effects and rarely causes allergic reactions. However, if you have sensitive skin or are allergic to seafood or iodine, run a patch test on a small area of your harm before applying sea moss gel all over your face or body.

Does sea moss have collagen?

No, sea moss does not have collagen. Collagen is naturally found in animal flesh like meat and fish with connective tissues.

So, why have you read that sea moss is one of the best plant-based sources of collagen? Because it contains high levels of nutrients that boost the body's collagen production, notably zinc, copper, and vitamin C. The efficiency of body-produced collagen is much higher than collagen supplements.

Related article: 5 foods that increase body collagen

Can sea moss cause acne and pimples?

Whether taken orally or applied topically, sea moss should not cause acne or pimples. Quite the opposite, in fact, as it's a great acne-fighting ingredient with high levels of sulfur.

If your skin gets acne after you use sea moss, it might indicate an allergic reaction. Stop taking sea moss and ask for a doctor's advice if the symptoms don't disappear after a few days. 

Have you ever tried sea moss for skin? What benefits did you get, and what’s your favorite way to use it?

References:

[1] Jing Wang, Weihua Jin, Yun Hou, Xizhen Niu, Hong Zhang, Quanbin Zhang, Chemical composition and moisture-absorption/retention ability of polysaccharides extracted from five algae, International Journal of Biological Macromolecules, Volume 57, 2013, Pages 26-29, ISSN 0141-8130,https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2013.03.001

[2] DePhillipo NN, Aman ZS, Kennedy MI, Begley JP, Moatshe G, LaPrade RF. Efficacy of Vitamin C Supplementation on Collagen Synthesis and Oxidative Stress After Musculoskeletal Injuries: A Systematic Review. Orthop J Sports Med. 2018 Oct 25;6(10):2325967118804544. doi: 10.1177/2325967118804544. PMID: 30386805; PMCID: PMC6204628. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6204628/