Gracilaria sp.

Gracilaria is a genus of red algae which is cultivated in Asia, South America, Africa and Australia with a noteworthy importance for its use to produce agar, a natural thickening agent. It also serves as food for humans and some shellfish species^[3].

In cosmetics, Gracilaria sp. is often used as a gelling and thickening agent. It can be used as raw material, especially for skincare creams, lotions, powder, lipstick, facial makeup and soap^[14].

This product is available in the following forms:

• Water-glycerin extract

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Typical applications in the cosmetics industry:

The nutrient profile of vitamins, amino acids and minerals found in Gracilaria sp. is absorbed when applied to the skin and has a positive effect on the skin's appearance, as it has a nourishing and nurturing effect.

Due to the achieved smoothing, tightening and renewal of the skin, the macroalgae Gracilaria sp. is suitable for anti-aging cosmetics^[9].

 

 

Sources:

1. Gracilaria - M.D. Guiry in Guiry, M.D. & Guiry, G.M. 09 July 2024. AlgaeBase. World-wide electronic publication, National University of Ireland (https://www.algaebase.org/search/genus/detail/?genus_id=14)
2. Gracilaria - Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gracilaria)
3. Chen X, Fu X, Huang L, Xu J, Gao X. Agar oligosaccharides: A review of preparation, structures, bioactivities and application. Carbohydr Polym. 2021 Aug 1;265:118076. doi: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2021.118076. Epub 2021 Apr 14. PMID: 33966840. (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33966840/)
4. Aziz E, Batool R, Khan MU, Rauf A, Akhtar W, Heydari M, Rehman S, Shahzad T, Malik A, Mosavat SH, Plygun S, Shariati MA. An overview on red algae bioactive compounds and their pharmaceutical applications. J Complement Integr Med. 2020 Jul 22:/j/jcim.ahead-of-print/jcim-2019-0203/jcim-2019-0203.xml. doi: 10.1515/jcim-2019-0203. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 32697756. (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32697756/)
5. Long X, Hu X, Pan C, Xiang H, Chen S, Qi B, Liu S, Yang X. Antioxidant Activity of Gracilaria lemaneiformis Polysaccharide Degradation Based on Nrf-2/Keap-1 Signaling Pathway in HepG2 Cells with Oxidative Stress Induced by H2O2. Mar Drugs. 2022 Aug 24;20(9):545. doi: 10.3390/md20090545. PMID: 36135734; PMCID: PMC9506308. (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36135734/)
6. Khan BM, Zheng LX, Khan W, Shah AA, Liu Y, Cheong KL. Antioxidant Potential of Physicochemically Characterized Gracilaria blodgettii Sulfated Polysaccharides. Polymers (Basel). 2021 Jan 30;13(3):442. doi: 10.3390/polym13030442. PMID: 33573123; PMCID: PMC7866499. (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33573123/)
7. Sudharsan S, Subhapradha N, Seedevi P, Shanmugam V, Madeswaran P, Shanmugam A, Srinivasan A. Antioxidant and anticoagulant activity of sulfated polysaccharide from Gracilaria debilis (Forsskal). Int J Biol Macromol. 2015 Nov;81:1031-8. doi: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2015.09.046. Epub 2015 Sep 28. PMID: 26424206. (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26424206/)
8. Malida Vernandes Sasadara M, Putu Wirawan IG, Made Jawi I, Sritamin M, Ayu Dewi NN, Ayu Mirah Adi AA. Anti-inflammatory Effect of Red Macroalgae Bulung Sangu (Gracilaria sp.) Extract in UVB-Irradiated Mice. Pak J Biol Sci. 2021 Jan;24(1):80-89. doi: 10.3923/pjbs.2021.80.89. PMID: 33683034. (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33683034/)
9. Wang X, Zhang Z, Zhou H, Sun X, Chen X, Xu N. The anti-aging effects of Gracilaria lemaneiformis polysaccharide in Caenorhabditis elegans. Int J Biol Macromol. 2019 Nov 1;140:600-604. doi: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2019.08.186. Epub 2019 Aug 22. PMID: 31446102. (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31446102/)
10. Younis EM, Al-Quffail AS, Al-Asgah NA, Abdel-Warith AA, Al-Hafedh YS. Effect of dietary fish meal replacement by red algae, Gracilaria arcuata, on growth performance and body composition of Nile tilapia Oreochromis niloticus. Saudi J Biol Sci. 2018 Feb;25(2):198-203. doi: 10.1016/j.sjbs.2017.06.012. Epub 2017 Jun 20. PMID: 29472765; PMCID: PMC5816004. (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29472765/)
11. Bakky MAH, Tran NT, Zhang Y, Hu H, Lin H, Zhang M, Liang H, Zhang Y, Li S. Effects of dietary supplementation of Gracilaria lemaneiformis-derived sulfated polysaccharides on the growth, antioxidant capacity, and innate immunity of rabbitfish (Siganus canaliculatus). Fish Shellfish Immunol. 2023 Aug;139:108933. doi: 10.1016/j.fsi.2023.108933. Epub 2023 Jul 5. PMID: 37419435. (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37419435/)
12. Priscila Torres, Janaína Pires Santos, Fungyi Chow, Déborah Y.A.C. dos Santos, A comprehensive review of traditional uses, bioactivity potential, and chemical diversity of the genus Gracilaria (Gracilariales, Rhodophyta), Algal Research, Volume 37, 2019, Pages 288-306, ISSN 2211-9264, (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2211926418305381)
13. Duan B, Wu Y, Xie S, Hong T, Yang Y, Zheng M, Jiang Z, Zhu Y, Li Q, Ni H, Wang Y, Du X, Li Z. Antifungal mechanism and application to phytopathogenic fungi after anaerobic fermentation of Gracilaria agar wastewater. Bioresour Technol. 2025 Jan;416:131818. doi: 10.1016/j.biortech.2024.131818. Epub 2024 Nov 13. PMID: 39542052. (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39542052/)
14. Priyan Shanura Fernando I, Kim KN, Kim D, Jeon YJ. Algal polysaccharides: potential bioactive substances for cosmeceutical applications. Crit Rev Biotechnol. 2018 Sep 9:1-15. doi: 10.1080/07388551.2018.1503995. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 30198346. (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30198346/)