Meet the microalgae wax aiming to replace fossil products

Published: 19-Jul-2023
Ingredients

Upwell Cosmetics is the company behind the first algae-derived cosmetic wax. Founders Alexandra Dowling Lari and Daniella Zakon explain their plans to transform the beauty space

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Alkenone wax from Upwell Cosmetics is the first algae-derived cosmetic wax.

Upwell was founded in 2019 by Daniella Zakon and Alexandra Dowling Lari.

The pair grew up in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, also home to a renowned oceanographic institution where their patented microalgae wax was discovered.

As adults, Zakon pursued marine biology and environmental entrepreneurship, while Dowling Lari went into the luxury beauty space, working with Moda Operandi, LVMH and Captain Blankenship.

They reconnected to bring a microalgae derived wax that was discovered in 2005 at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution to the cosmetic and personal care industries, along with a suite of additional ocean-based cosmetic ingredients.

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