PHYTOMER is the story of three generations of two passionate families motivated by the same dream: to transform the sea into skin care and provide these amazing innovations to the professional spa network. In France, PHYTOMER is still a family-run business that was founded over 50 years ago and remains profoundly attached to the exceptional marine biodiversity that the coastal Brittany region concentrates as inspiration for spa innovation. In the US, PHYTOMER Corporation is also a family-run company with three generations in the spa industry working with Phytomer and has been a major player in the US spa industry since 1986. Together, the goal is to provide everyone, no matter where they live, with the profoundly balancing and restoring nutrients from the sea for beauty that is healthy, sustainable, and respectful of both the skin and the environment.
Seawater is a genuine natural physiological serum that contains all naturally occurring indexed minerals and trace elements known to man. Seawater and blood plasma have a very similar chemical composition. So close in fact, when white blood cells are added to seawater, they continue to live, whereas they die in any other medium. These elements found in seawater act as catalysts for vital body functions.
Each day, they transform the sea into skincare. The sea is the richest and most vital element on earth, containing everything essential to the skin’s beauty and the body’s health. Most importantly, the sea works in complete affinity with our cells, to create instant, visible results, naturally.
PHYTOMER’s International Headquarters are located in St. Malo, a beautiful city with a complex connection to the sea, that lies along the Brittany coastline of France. This region’s shores contain an unparalleled variety of micro-algae, seaweed and seaside plants that are exceptionally compatible with the skin thanks to this area’s unique marine eco-system. Because the Brittany coast experiences the 2nd largest tidal fluctuation in the world, the marine plants that grow there have developed sophisticated systems to protect themselves from the harsh effects of prolonged low tide.
They believe in the sea and in the infinite possibilities of the natural ingredients found in its depths. They prioritize using natural ingredients and each product they make includes organic, wild and/or sustainable marine extracts to deliver the sea’s immeasurable benefits to your skin. All primary marine ingredients they use are formulated in-house, then they are incorporated into delicately textured products that are intensely soothing and pleasant to use. Each product is infused with natural, eco-friendly active components that protect the skin, so beauty resonates with well-being.
From The Lab To The Skin – Our Renowned Research & Development Laboratory
Beneath their passion for the sea lies a skincare company devoted to scientific research. Year after year they have developed a vast knowledge of the marine ingredients we create. They have established PHYTOMER’s Innovation and Production Center to be a unique player in the scientific world. Their researchers unlock the sea’s secrets in order to extract its most potent active molecules. This driving focus on innovation within their advanced R & D laboratories leads to the creation of exclusive products with the highest quality and effectiveness. Our team of 30 scientists collaborate to give life to the purest, high-performance marine ingredients and to provide solutions for the most demanding beauty and wellness goals through aggressive R & D and stringent testing.
Each day, their research team develops green methods to extract the most powerful, active, natural molecules that can be found in the sea. They use them to create the beauty solutions of tomorrow starting with each concept and finishing with manufacturing and distribution of our products around the world. They oversee every step of production in our facilities, from researching the specific functions of the skin to the exciting moment an active marine ingredient is discovered, to the expert formulation of the final product. This includes the crafting of ingredient delivery techniques, then completing cycles of rigorous testing to ensure powerful results and safety for the skin. Their long history of researching the sea and the skin and sharing their findings with the greater scientific community has helped them earn a global reputation as a leader in science.
In 1972, PHYTOMER’s founder, Jean Gedouin, personally discovered the curative properties of seawater while he was living in St. Malo on the Brittany Coast of France. This area is the birthplace of Thalassotherapy, an alternative medicine modality that uses seawater and other marine raw materials to bring the body back into balance for preventative and curative purposes. So the culture of the Brittany region is steeped in the understanding of the healing powers of the ocean. At the time, Mr. Gedouin was affected by a particularly intense gout flare-up and he decided to apply his own very simple thalassotherapy-based remedy, which was to dilute a glass of freshly harvested St. Malo seawater with drinking water to reduce the sodium chloride (salt) to be concumed safely. After 2 weeks his gout symptoms disappeared, and this inspired Mr. Gedouin to further research the powerful healing elements the sea had to offer and this led to his desire to package the therapeutic powers of the ocean so that everyone, everywhere could enjoy the rebalancing benefits of thalassotherapy and the sea.
Together, with the help of a colleague who was a chemist, they pioneered methods to purify and partially desalinate seawater before concentrating it into a powder to create OLIGOMER® PURE. Their extraordinary mineral concentrate was a worldwide first in skincare with its power to perfectly remineralize and revitalize the skin’s functions. OLIGOMER® PURE strengthens and energizes each cell by restoring their supply of trace elements and minerals. These act as catalysts for enzymatic reactions amongst regulating many other functions within the body. Seawater is a genuine physiological serum that has a chemical composition that is almost identical to that of our blood plasma. Both fluids contain all naturally occurring trace elements and minerals in very similar concentration so seawater is a perfectly balanced mineral water that matches our internal environment. In fact the two fluids are so compatible that white blood cells taken out of the body will continue to live in a seawater solution for weeks whereas they die in any other medium. This active ingredient in its pure form is a therapeutic bath product and also remains an integral ingredient in most products within the PHYTOMER skincare line, which means everyone, everywhere, from seaside to city streets, can enjoy the incredible skincare benefits the sea has to offer.
Safety & Quality Go Hand-in-Hand
Because we have been manufacturing our products ourselves within our Innovation and Production Center for five decades, we can certify their quality. We rigorously select each ingredient included in our formulas to ensure safety, purity and effectiveness at all times. Safety for the skin and protecting its health has always been our top priority and we never use hazardous substances. Our range is vegan-friendly, is never tested on animals and all formulas are made from naturally derived marine extracts. With sales in over 80 countries, our standards meet the most stringent regulations in the world for skin tolerance, purity. and quality.
The sea is our purpose and over 50 years of working alongside it, we have also stood for it by developing robust sustainability programs to protect it and to ensure the well-being and longevity of the ocean. The company’s quality and sustainability charter are reviewed and enhanced continually because we believe in the importance of remaining proactive and viewing our practices through a lens of sustainability. They formulate eco-friendly skin care, made of locally sourced marine ingredients from Brittany, with respect for both the sea and the marine farmers who supply us. In our research department, we develop green technology that promotes marine biodiversity while optimizing product quality and performance.
Since 2020 our sustainable packaging initiative has been unveiled as we relaunched streamlined, premium retail and professional product packaging that is made of more. natural and recyclable materials while reducing our carbon footprint.
All retail and professional products that come in plastic tubes, bottles or jars are made of bioplastic, a recyclable plastic material made of cane sugar, instead of petroleum. Retail-sized facial creams that come in jars are now made of recyclable glass and their top selling creams are packaged in a glass jar with a refillable pot. Once a consumer has finished their jar of cream, they can keep the glass portion and purchase a refill at a significant savings. Boxes for all retail products are made of FSC (Forrest Stewardship Council) sourced paper and the ink used to print the boxes is clean, vegetal-based ink. They no longer include plastic spatulas or pamphlets in retail products. Instead, many products’ external packaging includes QR codes that lead to digital product information.
While they still rely on local marine farmers and harvesters to responsibly collect algae from the wild seaweed beds of Brittany, over the last 15+ years they have produced more of their own raw materials by cultivating certified organic algae in the open sea and within our laboratories. They are pioneers in sustainable algae cultivation and harvest. The seaweed they farm off the Brittany coast are grown in protected deep water zones to ensure their quality and sustainability and to preserve natural marine resources.
They also grow micro-algae and certain species of delicate and endangered seaweed species within our laboratories. This allows them to tap into their protective benefits without over-harvesting them from their natural environment to better preserve marine biodiversity. Their production center also oversees organic cultivation of seaside plants in greenhouses as another source of raw materials for their marine active ingredients.
Green Production
Beyond their commitment to the responsible procurement of raw materials, their entire production process is a collaboration of green and clean practices. They minimize their environmental impact in every area possible by using green production methods that include solvent and chemical-free molecule extraction techniques, renewable energy sources, the installation and operation of an onsite filtration gardens to treat wastewater and the implementation of a smart recycling system for raw material bi-product and other waste.