We collaborate with the sea

A Breton company based in Saint-Malo, France since 1972, PHYTOMER brings the benefits of the sea for the skin to men and women around the world. We chose Brittany for its exceptionally rich environment. With 2,700 km of coastline, it offers the greatest marine biodiversity in all of Europe. We do not have to travel far to find the best ingredients: 80% of our actives are harvested in Brittany just a few kilometers away from our headquarters and laboratories in the bay of Mont Saint-Michel. We use them to create innovative, ultra-effective products. And because we have a deep love of the sea, we are committed to preserving its extraordinary biodiversity and to using its natural resources without exhausting them. To this end, we have developed sustainable algae cultivation techniques, both in the sea and in the laboratory. PHYTOMER Ambassador and famous Saint-Malo-native sailor, Servane Escoffier, spent a day with us to participate in our algae cultivation process. This lover of the Breton coast discovered one treasure after another in the sea that she sails every day.

Cultivating algae in the sea

Just a few kilometers from Saint-Malo, in Rance, Servane took part in the harvest of Weaving Algae. This algae has the power to retain water from deep within the skin and to prevent dehydration, which makes it the star active ingredient in PHYTOMER’s facial moisturizers.
Récolte de l'algue TisseuseRécolte à la main de l'algue tisseuse
In order to guarantee its quality and ensure its survival in nature, this brown algae is cultivated on ropes in a protected area. It reaches maturity and is harvested between April and June, depending on tide conditions. Harvesting is done by hand. It is laborious work. The ropes must be hauled from the water, and each bit of algae must be cut carefully to prevent damage. Several tons can be harvested each day.
“I am so happy to have learned how algae, cultivated with passion near Saint-Malo, can be incorporated into a cream to make us look beautiful.” Servane Escoffier

Cultivating algae in laboratories

In its laboratories, PHYTOMER cultivates the most fragile and endangered algae. This process makes it possible to use their beneficial cosmetic properties without needing to remove them from their natural environment, thereby preserving marine biodiversity. Servane met with Eric Gasparotto, Director of Active Ingredient Development, whose mission is to discover, collect and study new marine algae, plants and microorganisms with great potential. And to do so in a way that is sustainable and controlled, particularly through ecologically responsible algae cultivation programs. With Eric, Servane discovered a multitude of different algae, each containing extraordinary properties, which, when used properly, offer effective solutions for the skin concerns of men and women alike.

Découverte cultures d'algues

Servane was particularly interested in the laboratory cultivation of Jania, a red algae that is exceptionally rich in calcium. It took five years of hard work to establish a unique process for cultivating Jania outside of the sea. By taking a cutting and placing it in sea water with essential nutrients such as light, it will develop and grow. Because they are stirred, other cuttings will sprout automatically, grow and cause more movement and greater quantities, and then form pure, natural, highly active pom-poms. The Jania is then harvested and dried before it can be used to produce PHYTOMER treatments. It is found in products such as the Crème 30, our Early Wrinkle Plumping Solution. Incorporated into this new anti-aging cream, Jania helps to neutralize free radicals generated by mental stress, and boosts collagen production.

Culture de la Jania en LaboratoireRécolte de la Jania par Servane Escoffier, ambassadrice PHYTOMER

“I discovered how important it is for the algae to be lab-cultivated: it means they do not have to be removed from their natural environment, which protects resources.” Servane Escoffier
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