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Wakame
BOTANY
Undaria pinnatifida (Harvey) Suringar. A brown alga belonging to the Laminariales order, originally from
Japan but now widespread throughout the Mediterranean. Today this alga is cultivated on the coasts of
Britanny and is used in foodstuffs.
A leafy alga, brownish, translucent, between 60 and 120 cm in height and fixed to the substrate by
hapthera. The stalk of the plant comprises a compressed stipe, with denticulate edges and a lamina with
a clear central nerve.
The cells of the brown alga are surrounded by a well-developed cellular wall made up of two layers: the
amorphous outer layer, which is mucilaginous and has a pectic or similar nature, and the strong internal
cellulose layer. The sugar units comprising this cellulose layer are glucose and xylose. In the matrix or
intercellular areas of the cellular wall there are polysaccharides with carboxyl groups (alginic acid) and
sulphate groups (fucoidin). Alginic acid is a polyuronide, a polymer made up of ß-1,4-D-manuronic acid
and L-guluronic acid. The essential compound of fucoidin is L-fucose, a methylated sugar with five
carbons, presenting sulphate substituents.
The typical brown colour of the alga is due to an excess of carotenoid pigments that mask the
chlorophyll, especially xantophylls and particularly fucoxanthin and β-carotene. There might also be
small amounts of violaxantin. The chlorophylls present are A and C, and all of the pigments are set out in
one or several peripheral chloroplasts, their size and shape depending on the species.
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The main product of photosynthesis stored as a reserve product is laminarin, a polymer of D-glucose.
Mannitol, hexahydrated alcohol may also be found in the extracts of this alga. We can find other types of
carbohydrates, though in very small quantities.
Wakame extract is obtained from the seaweed Undaria pinnatifida.
CHEMISTRY
Wakame extract is interesting to cosmetics because of its polysaccharide, protein, vitamin and mineral
content.
Polysaccharides
The most important ones are alginate and fucan, a sulfated L-fucose polymer.
Amino acids
Wakame is an amino acid rich product; some of its major amino acids are: aspartic acid (Asp), glutamic
acid (Glu), serine (Ser), glycine (Gly), alanine (Ala), proline (Pro), isoleucine (Ile) and leucine (Leu).
Vitamins and minerals
Wakame contains abundant proportions of B vitamins (B1, B2, B3, B6 and B12) and minerals such as
magnesium (Mg), manganese (Mn), sodium (Na), iron (Fe), potassium (K), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn) and
calcium (Ca).
TRADITIONAL USES
Wakame (Undaria pinnatifida) is one of the most popular varieties of seafood which have been eaten in
Japan and Korea for centuries. It is estimated that the first type of seaweed originated one billion years
ago. Five hundred million years later, shellfish appeared, and one hundred million years after that, fish.
Seaweed, therefore, is one of the oldest forms of life on earth.
The oldest existing anthology of Japanese poetry, the Manyoshu (written in the 8th century), contains
references to Wakame as a special dish served in sacred services or used as an offering to nobility. At
that time it was not available for daily consumption, and it was only after the 17th century that ordinary
people could obtain and eat Wakame. It was then that Wakame gained popular attention as a food, and
cookbooks printed during that period contain information on preparing Wakame dishes.
In the past, only naturally grown Wakame was eaten, but today it is possible to cultivate and harvest
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Wakame like other plants, and the volume of cultured Wakame is increasing steadily.
In Europe,the word "wakame" first appeared in an English-language publication from 1867, A Japanese
and English Dictionary, by James C. Hepburn.
Starting in the 1960s, the word "wakame" started to be used widely in the United States, and the product
(imported in dried form from Japan) became widely available at natural food stores and Asian-American
grocery stores, due to the influence of the macrobiotic movement, and in the 1970s with the growing
number of Japanese restaurants and sushi bars.
COSMETIC PROPERTIES
The extracts and/or derivatives obtained
from Wakame can be used in cosmetics
both
for
moisturising
and
anti-ageing
products. The use of this alga in these
kinds of formulation is mainly due to its
active principles.
Firstly, the high protein levels allow its use
in anti-ageing products, as these kinds of
cosmetics provide nutritive substances and
moisturising properties to the finished
product. Secondly, the glucide compounds
in the alga maintain the aqueous levels of the horny layer, improving the external look of the skin by
enhancing its ability to retain moisture.
Antioxidant activity
Two sulphated polysaccharides were isolated from wakame. Their antioxidant activity was evaluated by
various antioxidant in vitro assays, including superoxide anion, DPPH, hydroxyl radical-scavenging
activity and metal chelating ability. They showed an effective antioxidant activity in all four tests. What is
more, the results showed that the two polysaccharides contained rhamnose as the major neutral sugar
and high sulphate content. The correlation between the sulphate content and antioxidant activity was
positive (Hu, 2010).
Therefore, wakame extract is well recommended to formulate cosmetic anti-aging products aimed at
protecting skin and hair from oxidative processes.
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Skin conditioning activity
This activity is due to the protein and carbohydrates.

Proteins
The polar nature of proteins gives them the capacity to bind water molecules by establishing
hydrogen bonds. This action is not influenced by the molecular weight of the protein. However, if
penetration into the skin and moisturizing in deeper skin layers is the goal, then short-chain, low
molecular weight peptides yield better results.
Thus, low molecular weight proteins are good moisturizing agents for deep skin layers, while
high molecular weight proteins – due to their filmogenic action – are better for surface
moisturizing and for giving the skin firmness and smoothness.

Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates are active principles extensively used in cosmetics. These compounds are
hygroscopic, namely they adsorb water thus contributing to keep a healthy moisture level in the
horny layer. These active compounds build hydrogen bonds, thus preventing massive water loss
and reducing dehydration. Additionally, some of these compounds make a protective coat on the
skin, thus preventing and slowing down transepidermal water loss.
Therefore, Wakame extract is recommended to formulate cosmetic products with skin moisturizing and
smoothing effects but also for hair conditioners and emollients.
Skin regenerating and stimulating activity
This property is due to the following components:

Proline; this amino acids promotes the synthesis of collagen and elastin, two key components in
the conjunctive tissue.

Aspartic acid: one of the most abundant amino acids in wakame. This amino acid is essential for
skin regeneration and tissue growth.

Vitamins of the B group
They contribute to skin health and cell renewal processes.

Vitamin B2 (riboflavin): essential to maintain the integrity of mucosa membranes. B2
deficiency produces skin ulcers. It is involved in oxygen transportation to the tissues.
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
Vitamin B8 (biotin): B8 deficiency produces scaling lesions on the skin and the mucosa
membranes.

Vitamin B9 (folic acid): involved in cell renewal

Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine): plays a role in zinc metabolism; this mineral is part of the
epidermis.
Due to wakame, skin cells receive all necessary nutrients to grow and keep their good condition,
facilitating the cellular repairing process. Considering hair care, wakame becomes useful because it
helps maintaining the hair healthy, strong and bright.
Therefore, Wakame extract is recommended to formulate cosmetic products with stimulatory activity on
cell metabolism, epithelization and tissue regeneration.
COSMETIC APPLICATIONS
Action
Active
Cosmetic Application
Antioxidant
Polysaccharides
Anti-aging
Skin conditioning
Proteins
Carbohydrates
Moisturizing
Soothing
Conditioning
Amino acids
Proteins
Stimulation of cell metabolism
Epithelization
Tissue regeneration
Tonifying
Antihair loss
Skin regeneration and
stimulation
RECOMMENDED DOSE
The recommended dose is 1-5%.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Hu T. et al. Antioxidant activity of sulphated polysaccharide fractions extracted from Undaria pinnatifida
in vitro. International Journal of Biological Macromolecules. 2010, 46(2):193-198.
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