Algae and the cosmetic business

From a post by ARIEL SCHWARTZ titled How an Algae Biofuel Company Ended Up in the Cosmetics Business :

So Solazyme set to work investigating microalgae, eventually stumbling upon Alguronic Acid, a compound produced by one microalgae species that protects algae--and human skin--from the environment. The compound is, according to Solazyme, significantly more effective than hyaluronic acid (a popular anti-aging skincare ingredient), vitamin C, retinol, vitamin E, and other anti-aging ingredients in increasing skin elastin production, inhibiting melanin production, and protecting against UV-triggered cell damage.

See for example Solazyme's published US application 20090069213, with abstract:

Provided herein are microalgal skin care compositions and methods of improving the health and appearance of skin. Also provided are methods of using polysaccharides for applications such as topical personal care products, cosmetics, and wrinkle reduction compositions. The invention also provides novel decolorized microalgal compositions useful for improving the health and appearance of skin. The invention also includes insoluble polysaccharide particles for application to human skin.