Latest Ocean Ecosystem Service: Make-Up?

All these years I've been arguing for ocean conservation on apparently trite notions that without healthy ocean habitats, we lose valuable ecosystem services like food, medicine, coastal storm protection, and tourism. I say trite since these benefits derived from healthy oceans appear insufficient to move the needle appreciably in public concern and action.

But I think we now have a surefire ecosystem service that will hit home: vanity!

This week, Financial Times columnist Anna-Marie Solowij describes why ocean conservation is becoming a front-and-center issue for high-end retailers on Madison Avenue,

For certain beauty brands, Monday’s World Oceans Day is worth honouring not just because of the need to preserve marine eco-systems but for the interesting and rarefied ingredients the oceans contain. If you believe humans have an amphibious evolutionary lineage, then it is logical that our bodies should have an affinity with marine-derived elements.

The buzz at the moment is about the survival mechanisms these elements have to combat harsh oceanic conditions, which makes them ideal candidates for age-defying beauty formulae. Witness Givenchy’s Le Soin Noir (above): a black face cream which contains naturally anthracite-coloured algae sap extracts rich in vital fatty acids with powerful defensive and restorative mechanisms against solar radiation, pressure and extreme temperatures.

While I make absolutely no claim to understanding any of that blather, if it results in wealthy consumers investing in and discussing ocean conservation in order to stave-off decrepitude then I'm 100% supportive.