Day one I put literal seaweed goo on my face. Not the cute kind from a Korean sheet mask — this smelled like a low tide in Margate.
Three weeks later my skin stopped throwing tantrums. The redness I’d been covering with concealer for two years just… faded. Didn’t even notice until I ran out of concealer.
It’s Haeckels Plankton Serum — £65 for 30ml. The brand claims wild seaweed extract rebalances your microbiome. I rolled my eyes, then bought it because the bottle looks cool on my shelf.
Live plankton
Not dead extract — the stuff is literally alive when bottled. Weird but effective.
Zero water
Uses seaweed juice instead. Feels wasteful until you see what it does.
No preservatives
Smells like the ocean because it basically is the ocean. Keep it in the fridge.
Photo: Poko Skincare / Unsplash
Three ingredients do the heavy lifting. No filler nonsense. The formula is so stripped back it’s almost aggressive — in a good way.
- Pelvetia canaliculata: calms angry skin in 48 hours
- Laminaria digitata: holds 10x its weight in moisture
- Ulva lactuca: boosts collagen production without stinging
- Seawater: mineral bomb that replaces hyaluronic acid
Photo: Nora Topicals / Unsplash
Thin as water, dries in 90 seconds flat. Leaves a tacky film that disappears under moisturizer. First week I smelled like I’d been swimming — not great for date night.
Week two my pores stopped looking like craters. Week three my husband asked if I was wearing foundation. I was not.
Photo: Laura Chouette / Unsplash
Redness down 60%. Texture smoother. Oil production balanced for the first time since puberty. Still have blackheads though — it’s not magic.
Photo: Klemen Kuster / Unsplash
Best serum I’ve used this year. Weirdest texture. Worst smell. Most effective. I’ll buy it again.