About us
We develop seaweed-based products & workshops that aim to promote healthy living and foster a creative attitude
Our journey
We started The Seaweed People back in 2020 when we both became very aware of how healing seaweed could be for mental and physical health
My journey began when I started to suffer from a really bad hormonal acne. I was looking for a natural remedy and skincare that was suitable for my over-sensitive skin. Intensive research led to trying loads of different brands who claimed to help.
I invested in all sorts of products but I found myself being unsatisfied and constantly spending money on skincare products that didn't work. That brought me back into the vicious circle of frustration and low confidence.
I’ve always been fascinated by medicinal plants and natural remedies. I was aware of the nutritional value of seaweed before, but it was only once I moved to Dorset and began walking at low and high tide did I experience the true nature of seaweed firsthand. I was surprised to see how it could go from dry and brittle (almost dead-looking), to plump, juicy and full of life. I asked myself, could this property perhaps be transported to a skincare?
I felt an urge to put the Aloe Vera-like gel that seaweed produces on my breakouts. Immediately it felt incredibly soothing and I could sense that the swelling became less inflamed. And then my journey of developing a remedy made of seaweed started.
I shared my first seaweed infusion with several friends and family and I was so pleased to receive positive feedback. It encouraged me to develop and refine the recipes. And the rest is history! The most rewarding aspect for me is hearing how our skincare helps others with skin issues.
I can really relate and empathise how difficult it is to live with skin issues and my goal is helping people to regain their confidence through natural skincare which is sourced mainly from the British coastline.
As a graphic designer I was working from home, behind a screen for most of my time. I felt somewhat isolated and static like many others during the lockdown years.
Without necessarily knowing it myself, I was hungry for an activity that brought me closer to interacting with the natural world.
It was only when I started swimming with a local group that my story with seaweed began. I had grown up by the sea but seaweed had always been that thing that tickled my feet and smelt pretty rotten on the beach.
One of the swimmers in the group was a gardener, and she would always leave with a bag full of washed up seaweed for the garden, explaining how good it was for the soil.
I began doing the same and started to notice all the different species. my curiosity was sparked and I began pressing them in order to study the species further.
The very process of pressing seaweed became that link to my immediate environment. It is also a very mediative process since it requires a lot of focus. This did wonders for my mental health, being connected to the sea on a more fundamental level.
Now my interest has moved on from creating art, to developing food products and being immersed in kelp forests whilst freediving.
Why did we fall for seaweed?
Initially we were drawn to create at multi-disciplinary brand about seaweed, everything from fabrics to foods. We've since specialised in skincare, food and workshops to better understand the symbiotic human connection with seaweed.
We wild harvest our seaweed from the intertidal zone (which is the area between mean low and high tide) across a few sites in Dorset.
Yes. We ensure our methods are sustainable by following Natural Englands code of conduct when it comes to hand harvesting seaweeds. We use sharp scissors to cut off the top third of the blade from the seaweed, making sure the holdfast (root-like structure) is still attached. Cutting the top third ensures the seaweeds can continue to grow and develop new blades from the tips. Read more on our sustainability page.
Seaweed has been used to heal skin issues for centuries because of its soothing properties (seaweed baths).The vitamins and minerals, alongside amino acids and proteins contained in seaweed can be directly absorbed by our largest organ – the skin. Seaweed, especially brown seaweed, has an incredible water-holding capacity essentially keeping skin moisturised. It’s basically the property that seaweed had to build to stay alive in the intertidal zone. Seaweed can go from crisp-dry during the low tide, to nicely plump and fresh when it’s back in the water. The jelly-like substance that seaweed produces is soothing and our skincare has been developed after applying it in its raw form on breakouts, and dry, irritated patches on the face.
No, it shouldn't. The carrier oil for our seaweed infusion is organic Jojoba oil. Jojoba oil is basically a liquid wax which has a very similar chemical structure to Sebum – the oil naturally produced by our skin. That means when you apply Jojoba oil to you skin, it should manage sebum production (greasy skin) and moisturise without clogging pores or stripping the skin’s natural oils.
