Sea2Skin won the Dutch BISC-E competition. Daniel Panigori Simanjuntak most right on the photo. Photo Sea2Skin Three Indonesian WUR students are developing a biodegradable sun cream based on seaweed, which they call Sea2Skin. The three are competing in a European challenge. ‘We discovered that brown seaweed contains a pigment that can block ultraviolet sunlight,’ says Daniel Panigori Simanjuntak. Text Dominique Vrouwenvelder | Illustration Marly Hendricks
Panigori Simanjuntak, a Master’s student in Biobased Sciences, came to Wageningen last year to learn more about the utilization of bio-resources. During one of his courses, he met fellow students Wildan Hakim (Biobased Sciences) and Dina Yurika (Biosystems Engineering). Together, they formed a team for the Bio-based Innovation Student Challenge Europe (BISC-E). They won the Dutch national competition for this challenge last spring and now they are preparing their business case for seaweed-based sunscreen for the European BISC-E finals. At the same time, they are conducting market validation research to test the commercial potential of their concept.
‘We signed up for the student challenge, but at first we didn’t know what to do – bio-based innovation is such a broad topic,’ Panigori Simanjuntak admits. ‘Because I was interested in seaweed and the others were interested generally in bio-resources, we started exploring the options for seaweed.’
This sunscreen product could protect both people and the planet
Daniel Panigori Simanjuntak, Sea2Skin
‘We found out that brown seaweed contains a pigment called fucoxanthin. We know pigments can block ultraviolet light from the sun. That makes seaweed an interesting ingredient for sunscreen. It also has anti-cancer and antioxidant properties, which is very promising for skincare. This could be a sunscreen product that protects both people and the planet.’ At this stage, the team is testing the sun cream’s properties as a cosmetic formulation, such as how easy it is to apply to the skin and whether it remains homogenous over time.
Coral reefs
Traditional sunscreens rely on either chemical or mineral UV filters. The chemical version is petroleum-based, and some compounds — like oxybenzone — can harm coral reefs due to coral bleaching. The mineral version uses white particles, usually zinc oxide or titanium oxide, which leave a visible white film on the skin. ‘That is not a problem for people with a light skin colour, but it’s less ideal for others,’ says Panigori Simanjuntak. ‘Seaweed pigments, however, are brownish.’
For the BISC-E challenge, the team explored three categories: the technical feasibility, the business case and the environmental impact. ‘After the national final, we took a break from the project during the summer holidays,’ says Panigori Simanjuntak. ‘Now we’re preparing for the European competition, where we will face the national winners of other countries.’ The semi-finals are in September. If the students get through that round, they will present Sea2Skin at the final in Brussels in October.
Meanwhile, the students are contacting skincare companies in Indonesia and Europe to explore the market for bio-based compounds. ‘We don’t want to end up developing a product no one is interested in,’ says Panigori Simanjuntak.
