Scientists are searching New Zealand waters for marine organisms that could be the secret breakthrough ingredient for skincare products such as sunscreen and anti-ageing creams.

Cawthron Institute and Callaghan Innovation’s Biotechnologies Group are New Zealand partners in OCEOMICS, a Horizon Europe-funded project involving 12 organisations across eight countries, led by Spanish research institute AINIA.

Cawthron will lead research into marine microalgae, while Callaghan Innovation’s Biotechnologies Group will study marine bacteria from New Zealand waters — including samples from pristine coastal, sub-Antarctic and subtropical environments.

The Kiwi scientists have just collected their first batch of marine organism samples, from Whakaari White Island where Cawthron scientist Karthiga Kumanan used a variety of different methods.

“We collected samples from 10 different locations, so 10 times a one litre container of direct water. We also collected concentrated samples so using a plankton net which is like a fishing net. We dragged the net 300m to concentrate whatever is in the water,” said Karthiga.

The laboratory was already processing the samples, and she was excited about what they might find.

“I just spoke to the lab teams and they have plenty of dead and live algal cells,” she said.

Johan Svenson is the science impact manager at the Cawthron Institute and in charge of the project. He said the organisms they are looking for are mostly microscopic.

“So the stuff you don’t really see in the ocean — we’re talking about plankton, micro algae and bacteria.”

He describes the ocean as having “massive untapped potential”.

“We’ve used terrestrial plants for thousands of years in medicine, but we only looked at marine for the last maybe 70 years.. we’re really starting to scrape the surface of the bottom to find bioactive compounds in the ocean compared to on land,” he said.

The project will use artificial intelligence, genomic screening and biotechnology tools to identify future ingredients for high-value skincare formulations — including anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, UV-protecting and skin barrier products.

“We want to see if they can produce commercially valuable compounds. At the end of this project we have Unilever as a commercial partner who would be willing to pick up any promising leads,” said Svenson.

The scientists are looking for specific chemical targets to understand how, and if, valuable compounds produced by the marine organisms can be mimicked in future.

“So the goal is to understand the genetic information that is used and producing the compound using other organisms… using recombant technologies — it’s pretty fancy and science fictioney,” said Svenson.

Cawthron Institute’s Pou Arataki Anaru Luke said the project has been designed from the outset in accordance with New Zealand’s legal, ethical and Treaty obligations.

“What’s unique about this project is that sampling will proceed subject to agreement with iwi, guided by Te Tiriti-based principles including partnership, kaitiakitanga, and respect for mātauranga Māori.”

“Critically, no organisms will leave New Zealand. Only extracts and genomic data will be shared with consortium partners, and all genomic and metabolomic data will be stored and stewarded in New Zealand to support data sovereignty.”

Any commercially promising strains will be characterised in New Zealand, and downstream commercial benefits will be shared with participating iwi.

“Iwi are invited to participate in any part of the New Zealand programme — including sampling, research, and product development — and to grow their own knowledge of marine biodiscovery and the emerging blue bioeconomy,” said Luke.