Have you ever wondered why Japanese women and men have such youthful looking skin? The Japanese are renowned for their beautiful and radiant skin. What is their secret? Is it their genes?  Contrary to popular belief, a key ingredient to the population’s healthy skin is due to a special ingredient called Wakame. Found in both Japanese skincare products and diet, Wakame is a sea kelp, an edible sea weed, proven to give the human body a wealth of health benefits. It can be eaten both fresh and dried, and its extracted and purified form is known as phytessence wakame, used in skincare.  Wakame is rich in important minerals like sodium, iron, potassium, and calcium. In fact, Wakame contains 15 times more calcium than milk!

In addition to a host of minerals, Wakame contains B-group vitamins, which help to soothe skin irritation. Wakame is also rich in antioxidants which fight free radicals and therefore very effective in anti-aging skin care products. Phytessence wakame is more effective than any other kind of wakame extract because of its ability to deeply penetrate skin.

Further, Wakame contains a special substance called sulphated pilyfucose which protects skin from harmful UV rays and pollution. What really made Wakame a Japanese skincare secret however is its ability to inhibit the activity of the harmful enzyme hyaluronidase – a sort of enzyme in the body that helps to break down the hyaluronic acids. Hyaluronic acid is significant because when we don’t have enough, the skin’s elastin and collagen fibers lose strength. Essentially, the higher the levels of hyaluronic acid you have in the body, the more youthful you look.

Hyaluronic acid helps bind the skin together and is essential to maintaining the firmness, elasticity, smoothness, and tone of skin. The loss of hyaluronic acid is one of the leading causes of aging skin. Wakame may be able to help you regain the smoothness and youthful look you once had. Japanese skin care companies discovered this long ago, and thus most skin care products in Japan contain wakame extract. Japanese women have been enjoying its benefits for centuries.

Search on mySkin to see what products include wakame. If you have experienced the benefits of using products that contain phytessence Wakame, we would love to hear form you.