Legend has it that Aphrodite, the goddess of beauty, was born from the foam of the sea.

It seems the ancient Greeks were on to something. The ocean has long been a source of beauty ingredients that take aim at aging's effects, from soothing seaweed to exfoliating sea salt. Now salmon spawning water and jellyfish are being touted as the next big thing. Here, we dive into the new wave of beauty products incorporating marine ingredients.

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FOR THE RECORD

An earlier version of this post misspelled Patricia Pao's last name as Pau.

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Pseudoalteromonas Antarctica

What it is: During a 1988 expedition to King George Island in Antarctica, a Spanish exploration team discovered this new marine bacterial strain in mud samples. During growth, the bacteria produced glycoproteins (known as Antarcticine or Pseudoalteromonas Ferment Extract) that effectively retained water, adhered to surfaces and withstood extreme cold.

Skin fix: Recently, skin care companies began formulating with Antarcticine and claim that it helps protect skin from the cold, stimulates collagen growth, speeds up the healing of wounds, hydrates skin and diminishes wrinkles.

Is it likely to work? Antarcticine shows some promise, says Los Angeles dermatologist Dr Jessica Wu, assistant clinical professor of dermatology at the USC School of Medicine. She adds that though lab studies showed increases in collagen and elastin tissue production in skin cells, shed like to see more effective clinical studies before giving it her stamp of approval.

Continued here:
New beauty products tap the bounty of the sea