Edith Filaire

Marine biotechnology, or blue biotechnology, harnesses the diversity of marine environments and organisms that generally have no equivalent on land. Despite the knowledge of many marine ecosystems, there are still many untapped resources that could serve as a basis for the development of new products and new processes. The rapid development of genomics (genome sequencing) and metagenomic screening (expression of DNA fragments from the marine environment) should make it possible to take advantage of the metabolic diversity of marine resources. Among marine organisms, microalgae have many advantages for use in biotechnology: significant biomass obtained economically and easy purification of biomolecules. The envisaged applications cover a wide range: bioenergy, food industry, health products, cosmetics, energy, agronomy and environmental protection . Microalgae are photosynthetic organisms that produce valuable metabolites as a result of being constantly exposed to stress conditions such as high or low temperature, high salinity, osmotic pressure, photo-oxidation, and ultraviolet radiation. Focusing on the cosmetic and cosmeceutical industries, these metabolites drew attention and to be used in anti-aging, sunscreen, and skin whitening products. Microalgal secondary metabolites can have anti-blemish or anti-microbial effect; can also repair and heal skin, protect skin from UV damage, and prevent inflammation. This conference highlights the potential of microalgae species and, bioactive molecules derived by them in trending natural cosmetics with a special emphasis on application areas and production steps.