Once, many moons ago, we created the Moroccan Rose Body Care range which became synonymous with REN Clean Skincare. Who would know we had another body success on our hands? Atlantic Kelp and Magnesium (humblebrag) has won plenty of awards, not just for formula but also packaging innovation. But, if it weren’t for the ocean this product (and many of our facial products) wouldn’t exist as you know it…

The Hero Bioactives (and 20% of the packaging) for our energising body and hand wash and lotions comes from the ocean. So, for our 20 Years of Clean series, we thought we would explain how this coveted formula gets from the sea to your skin.

Skin-loving sea kelp.

Sea Kelp, aka seaweed, aka brown algae, has been long-reported to have many skin benefits. We mean long reported. Droves in Ireland have been bathing in baths of seaweed since the 12th century to this day, and when you look inside this sea-dwelling plant, you can see why.

Packed with vitamins, minerals, proteins and amino acids, kelp has the ability to brighten, energise remineralise and moisturise skin, keeping it in healthy condition. And it’s these very properties that are the reason we’ve packed it into everyday body washes, hand washes, lotions - the lot, to protect skin from frequent washing.

The sourcing story.

There are over 50,000 (whoa) strains of kelp that grow in our oceans. We use Laminaria Digitata, which is native to the nutrient-dense, cold-water ocean that is the North Atlantic. We only work with suppliers that we can put our Clean to Skin. Clean to Planet. trust in, and in this case, our Kelp is sourced by only licensed seaweed harvesters and fishermen who have reached their quota on fishing for the year.

They’re trained to cause the least disruption to the aquatic environment possible, and as Laminaria Digitata grows in an intertidal zone, not only is it constantly replenished with nutrients, but harvesters are able to cut the kelp easily above the holdfast (root-like structure) so it can regrow easily. The kelp then freshwater cleaned, air dried, chopped and milled then put into testing for our product.

Ocean-reclaimed packaging.

We’re proud to offer our Atlantic Kelp Body and Hand Wash and Lotion in PCR packaging, 80% of which is recycled bottles and 20% of which, just like our ingredients, comes from the ocean. Between 8 and 12 million metric tons of plastic enter our oceans annually, a rate with which would see more plastic than fish by 2050.

By partnering with TerraCycle, we ‘ve been able to remove 1.5 tons of plastic to date from ocean sources, which is usually quite degraded (it could have been there some time) before sorting, shredding, washing, blending it and creating a pelletised format - which is what makes up any type of recycled plastic. As ocean plastic is usually more fragile, it’s blended with other forms of recycled plastic to make sure your pack is strong and capable of holding your beloved formula.

A more sustainable future.

Even with the sustainable steps we’ve taken to make our bottle Zero Waste, the road to recyclability isn’t always clear cut. For our body wash we developed a metal-free pump, removing another material from the mix, but even in its current form it’s not yet recyclable. To keep it out of landfill, we’re working towards developing a new one in line with our Zero Waste by the end of 2021 Pledge (recycled, recyclable and reusable packaging solutions) and when it’s ready – you’ll be the first to know.

Alongside that, we're working to expand more of the Atlantic Kelp and Magnesium range into ocean-reclaimed plastic. But, if you're interested in more sustainability info - why not check out Infinity Recycling - our industry first pack that opens up the possibility of indefinite recycling... And P.S. Please Reuse or Recycle and keep our planet Clean.