An active ingredient taken from brown seaweed that grows off the coast of Brittany in France has been found to reduce acne by over 60%, according to new research.
A new clinical trial of a treatment containing the seaweed ingredient showed the number of spots fell by 64 % and blackheads by 60 % after eight weeks.
[quote]The study, published in Clinical and Experimental Dermatology, an official journal of the British Association of Dermatologists, was the first study on a cosmetic treatment for acne to be published in an official dermatology journal.[/quote]
The active anti-acne compound taken from brown seaweed is called Laminaria digitata.
In a trial of 60 males aged 14 to 21 years with mild acne, half used seaweed-based skin wash and balm, while the others used products that did not contain the seaweed ingredient.
The seaweed group reported a cut the number of spots as well as a reduction in inflammation and redness within two weeks. Blackheads and spots had reduced by 29% after two weeks and after four weeks blackheads were cut by 42% and spots by 50%.
