Technology
In 1881, British chemist E. C. Stanford isolated a gelling substance from Laminaria digitata, a type of seaweed, and named it algine. He found that it had acidic properties in water, so he called it alginic acid.
This compound and its derivatives are extracted from several types of seaweed: Ascophyllum nodosum, Laminaria digitata, Laminaria japonica, Ecklonia cava, and others. Their principal use is in the cosmetics and food industries, where they are used as a gelling base, though there are more than 400 commericial uses for alginates. In the food industry, it is used as an emulsion stabilizer, binding agent, thickener and crystal reducer. Some of these same stabilizing and thickening properties are also utilized in medical dressings. In the manufacture of rubber, paper, ink, textiles and explosives, alginic acid and its derivatives are used for their various binding properties.
One of these derivatives, Sodium Alginate, a colorless and odorless powder, is soluble in water and possesses powerful gelling properties, making it an ideal ingredient in facial and body masks.