Long before it becomes part of a skincare ritual, our kelp begins its life suspended beneath the cold waters of Maine.
At Cold Current Kelp, our ingredients don't begin in a lab or a factory. They begin in the ocean — shaped by cold water, waves, and months of underwater growth off the coast of Maine.
Most people have never seen a kelp farm. Unlike traditional agriculture, there are no rows of crops or fields to harvest. A kelp farm consists of ropes suspended in the ocean between buoys and anchors, where young kelp grows underwater throughout the winter and spring months.
Kelp is planted on our ocean farm during the colder months and left to grow naturally for about six months before harvest. Unlike many land-based crops, kelp requires no freshwater, fertilizer, feed, or farmland to grow. Instead, it relies entirely on sunlight and the naturally occurring nutrients already present in the ocean. Some species of kelp are among the fastest-growing organisms on Earth, capable of growing more than a foot per day under the right conditions. We grow sugar kelp here in Maine, which in peak growing season can grow about two inches per day.
For us, that is part of what makes kelp so remarkable.
As a marine biologist and kelp farmer, I’m continually inspired by the simplicity and efficiency of ocean farming. Kelp farming works with the natural environment rather than against it, creating a renewable marine crop with enormous potential for food, agriculture, biomaterials, and skincare.
But beyond sustainability, I’ve come to feel passionate about kelp’s unique properties for skin.
Kelp has naturally evolved over millions of years to thrive in harsh environmental conditions — extreme fluctuations in temperature, salinity, intense UV radiation, and turbulent wave energy. To do this, it produces bioactive compounds whose sole purpose is to protect and support it in that environment. These same compounds — minerals, antioxidants, polysaccharides, and others — have similar effects when applied to our skin. In skincare, kelp is valued for its ability to help soothe, nourish, and replenish the skin barrier while delivering lightweight hydration and a natural glow.
At Cold Current Kelp, we combine our farmed Maine kelp extract with carefully selected organic plant oils to create skincare products that feel both luxurious and deeply connected to the ocean environment they come from.
Once harvested, the kelp is gently processed — dried in our greenhouse and ground to a coarse powder — and we use a proprietary, scientifically supported, toxin-free method to infuse the kelp into our oil formulations. From there, it becomes part of the products we make in small batches, connecting the raw beauty of the Maine coast to everyday skincare rituals.
For us, “ocean to bottle” is more than a phrase. It reflects our belief that skincare ingredients should be thoughtfully sourced, transparently produced, and rooted in real places and ecosystems.
Maine’s cold waters, working waterfront communities, and growing kelp farming industry are central to our story and to the future we hope to help build — one where ocean farming supports both coastal economies and more sustainable ingredient systems.
Every bottle begins in Maine’s coastal waters, shaped by moving tides, sunlight, and months of patient growth beneath the surface.
That connection to the ocean is at the heart of everything we make.