Ingredients
Five seaweeds, and a short list of everything else.
We would rather explain eleven ingredients than hide behind thirty. Here is what goes into Saltmoss, where we get it, and what it is doing in the jar.
| Seaweed | Where it comes from | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Bladderwrack Fucus vesiculosus | Intertidal rocks, Frenchman Bay. Harvested April to October. | Fucoidan and trace minerals that help skin hold water. The base of Tidepool Serum. |
| Sugar kelp Saccharina latissima | Subtidal; bought fresh each spring from a family kelp farm in Casco Bay. | Softening polysaccharides and mannitol. Infused into the oil of our Cleansing Balm. |
| Dulse Palmaria palmata | Low intertidal ledges on the outer islands, harvested by hand in June. | Amino acids and phycoerythrin, a red antioxidant pigment. In Dulse Day Cream. |
| Irish moss Chondrus crispus | Below the low tide line; gathered on the lowest spring tides of the year. | A gentle gel that forms a breathable film. The heart of Carrageen Night Mask. |
| Horsetail kelp Laminaria digitata | Subtidal, from the same Casco Bay farm, dried and stone-milled. | Fine powder that adds slip and minerals to Saltgrass Body Polish. |
What we leave out
- Added fragrance and essential oils in anything for the face.
- Silicones, mineral oil and PEGs.
- Parabens and formaldehyde donors. We preserve with sodium levulinate and anisate, or benzoate and sorbate in our water gels.
- Microplastics. The body polish is salt and kelp, nothing else abrasive.
Sensitive skin
Seaweed is gentle for most people, but iodine-rich extracts can bother a small number of very reactive skins. If you have a known iodine sensitivity, or you are starting more than one new product at once, patch test first: a small dab on the inner arm, morning and evening, for three days. You can always write to us with your ingredient list before you buy.
Testing
Every formula goes through a 50-person repeat insult patch test and a 28-day preservative challenge at an independent lab in New Hampshire before we sell it. We never test on animals and we don't sell anywhere that requires it.