Laver seaweed, or porphyra umbilicalis, is a beautiful ingredient with amazing skin-boosting properties. It’s harvested locally on Gower, so it was an obvious choice for us to use in our handmade lavender soaps.
Laver is better known in these parts as laverbread, a Welsh delicacy, usually eaten with cockles and bacon as part of a Welsh breakfast. But even if you’ve never tried laverbread, you’ve probably eaten laver seaweed in its dried form, nori, the dried seaweed sheets used in sushi.
Most of us are already aware that seaweed is a fantastic addition to our diets, but did you know it also offers amazing skin-boosting properties too? Packed with iodine, antioxidants and several minerals and vitamins essential to keeping us healthy (significantly, vitamins A, B12 and C), laver has been shown to work with the skin’s natural barrier to help keep it moisturised and healthy. Here are three of the ways laver seaweed is great for your skin:
Skin hydration
The antioxidants in laver seaweed are excellent at helping the skin stay hydrated, while the carbohydrates it contains have been found to preserve the skin’s moisture even better than hyaluronic acid in studies. High levels of electrolytes in the shape of sodium and potassium have also been proven to help the skin stay hydrated.
Fighting acne
Seaweeds are known to contain several bioactive substances. In particular, red algaes – of which laver seaweed is an example – are rich in bioactive compounds such as polysaccharides, phenolic compounds, lipids, sterols, alkaloids, and terpenoids, which gives them antioxidant, antimicrobial, antiviral and anti-inflammatory properties. These, in particular the anti-inflammatories, have been linked with acne disruption in multiple studies.
Reducing redness, and more
Laver’s anti-inflammatory properties are also excellent at – you guessed it – reducing inflammation. Together they mean dry, irritated, swollen or allergic skin is soothed and calmed, reducing redness and blotchiness.
Seaweed also has several other properties helpful to skin, including natural UV blocking and anti-cancer activity – all of which is related to the reduction of hyperpigmentation, fine lines and wrinkles.
So all in all, it’s a wonder ingredient, which we love using in our Lavender and Laver Seaweed Soap. For extra cleansing, we have teamed it with activated charcoal, which is brilliant at removing impurities, and another great way of tackling acne and reducing redness. Plus of course we use our own lavender, an anti-bacterial, skin-healing marvel in its own right. We love our seaweed, and we hope you love using it too!
