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News / Hopes high for seaweed project

PLANS to convert Shetland’s seaweed into a commercial cosmetic product are progressing well, according to the research team behind the project who are in the isles this week.

The team from Leeds University are leading a £500,000 project involving six companies and research laboratories including global players The Body Shop and L’Oreal, and Shetland’s only seaweed processing operation Böd Ayre Products, based in Lunna.

On Tuesday night they attended a reception at Shetland museum hosted by Shetland Islands Council’s economic development unit, who are supporting an associated PhD project with £23,000.

Project leader Richard Blackburn said their two-year scientific programme, which got under way last year, would lead to a number of new high value cosmetic applications and could help Böd Ayre increase the earning potential of local seaweed.

The objective is to develop a comprehensive range of hair colorants and care agents for both hair and skin by isolating and purifying chemicals from seaweed.

Dr Blackburn said he hoped that by the end of the project they would have at least one, and hopefully more products to take to commercial development.

“The use of seaweed in cosmetics is nothing new. People may have been using seaweed for many years in hair care, but they don’t know why; they only know it does something interesting,” he said.

“We want to find the specific chemical in the seaweed that does a particular job, and through that we can develop new applications for a whole variety of cosmetic products.”

At present the scientists are looking at 12 different types of seaweed, mainly brown but also some red seaweeds, all of which are being harvested around Shetland’s coast by Böd Ayre.

Dr Blackburn added: “The research that we do could ultimately lead to an extraction process that can be done here in Shetland.

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“We could genuinely have a new industry for the isles. The potential for seaweed research is great as there are more than cosmetic applications, there are also possibilities for a range of other consumer products.

“This is a sustainable resource, and it is important for us to work with Michael and Margaret Blance as they know their raw material.”

The partners are Böd Ayre Products Limited, Critical Processes Ltd, Independent Cosmetic Advice Ltd, Higgins Consultancy Limited, DyeCat Limited, The Body Shop International plc, and the University of Leeds. The project runs until autumn of next year and has the support of the Technology Strategy Board based in Swindon.

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