First and foremost, it’s definitely not a vegetable. The sea cucumber, despite its cucumber-like appearance which gives it its namesake, is a marine invertebrate known as an ‘echinoderm’, or more specifically, a holothurian. There are over 1400 different species in the world, mainly in the warmer waters of the Asia-Pacific, inhabiting the harsh and exposed sea-beds. The organism itself is abundant with collagen, as well as minerals, vitamins, glycosaminoglycans (GAGs), peptides, phenolics, amino acids and antioxidants. Due to its location and robust composition, the sea cucumber has been used for centuries by those in Asia, and the Indigenous Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, as both a nutritious foodstuff, often attributed to being an ‘ocean ginseng’, and a remarkable natural medicine for wound healing and disease prevention. It is even being used in modern medicine and science for tissue regeneration of organs and muscle, as well as being famed for its anticancer and antimicrobial properties.

Sea cucumbers are found on shallow sea-beds, and if there’s any place that’s exposed to ALL the elements, it’s there. Facing harsh sun, temperature changes, corrosive salt and rough water, the sea cucumber must become impenetrable, armoured with a suite of self-repairing, water-retaining and moisturising abilities. Did you know that cutting one in half produces two more? That’s how brilliant they are at regeneration! In turn, when the collagen, which makes up the main component of the sea cucumbers structure, is extracted it retains all of those healing and hydrating abilities, which Bescher makes the most of in their revolutionary formula. Some Science: According to Coppola et al (2020) ‘Marine collagen acts as bioactive, biomimetic carrier for the loading of L-cysteine hydrochloride, facilitating the wound healing processes due to its glycosaminoglycans’

Quick answer: One. Big. YES. Some Science: As Hossain et al. (2020) report, sea cucumbers contain an array of properties, including a vast range of minerals, particularly magnesium, calcium, zinc and iron, as well as vital nutrients such as Vitamin A, Vitamin B1 (thiamine), Vitamin B2 (riboflavin), Vitamin B3 (niacin). Moreover, there is also a high constitution of numerous bioactive compounds, namely saponins, glycosaminoglycans, chondroitin sulfate, sulfated polysaccharides, fucoidan, phenolics, peptides, lectins, cerebrosides, and sterols. The collagen itself is also full of essential fatty acids like arachidonic, linoleic, stearic, myristic, palmitic, EHA and DHA, alongside a rich profile of amino acids, including glycine, arginine, aspartic acid, alanine, tyrosine, threonine, phenylalanine, and glutamic acid. It makes lots of sense why sea cucumber is widely sought after as an immunity- boosting nutraceutical, but what does this mean for your complexion? Well, all these nutrients and amino acids combine within the Bescher formula to create an impenetrable barrier for your skin, healing it on the go and protecting it from free radicals, pollution and harsh climates; rain, hail, wind or shine.

If you didn’t think the sea cucumber could up the ante anymore, you’d be surprised to know that it certainly does up the ‘anti-.’ Some Science: In Bordbar et al.’s (2011) study, as is mentioned above by Hossain et al. (2020), the sea cucumber consists of many vitamins, minerals, essential fatty acids and amino acids. However, they also find that this humble marine organism has a considerable amount of medicinal and cosmeceutical benefits or ‘anti-s’. Think: - anti-angiogenic, anti-tumour, anti-carcinogenic, and anticancer = healthy and ageless skin - anti-coagulant and anti-thrombotic = scar and wound healing - anti-fatigue = revitalising and regenerative - anti-inflammatory = calming and brightening - antimicrobial and antiviral = bye bye acne, eczema and dermatitis - antioxidising = free-radical busting

The marine environment faces significant challenges, with concerns like harmful trawling, overfishing, and the resulting environmental destruction of natural habitats. Because Bescher endeavours to not only be kind to your skin, but to be kind to the oceans that give us access to the remarkable ingredient that is the sea cucumber, we source the gold standard in sea cucumbers from certified fisheries, which are harvested by hand in sustainable farming conditions. This is in a completely unaltered marine ecosystem with controlled conditions and supervision from expert marine biologists. Moreover, our sea cucumber collagen is an eco-friendly by-product of the seafood industry. By ensuring that our sea cucumber populations are kept at optimal levels, we allow these marine marvels to continue their vital ecological roles, reproducing and supporting the delicate balance of the marine food web.

Unlike Bovine Collagen, Marine Collagen is free from any transmissible diseases and is far more stable and efficacious. What’s more, it is kind to all skin, even the most sensitive type! By combatting inflammation and oxidative stress, while also providing intensive hydration and repair, sea cucumber collagen prevents any chance of irritation. Some Science: Not only does collagen have a very weak immunogenicity generally, meaning our skin and body won’t reject it, but sea cucumber collagen in particular harbours a remarkably similar cellular matrix to our own human cells due to it consisting of mutable collagenous tissue (MCT). This makes the collagen extremely compatible, safe and the perfect ingredient to apply to our skin.