Behind the Breakthrough: The Making of Algae Black
What does it take to reinvent black pigment for beauty - without the pollution, mining, or petrochemicals?
For us, it took three years, a carbon-negative vision, relentless persistence, and a powerful collaboration of minds. Together with the brilliant team at Living Ink, we’ve created a breakthrough: the world’s first algae-derived black pigment designed specifically for beauty.
Here’s the inside story of how we turned nature’s ingenuity into a bold, sustainable alternative to conventional black.
From Concept to Creation: A Three-Year Journey
Reimagining black pigment wasn’t easy.
The journey to Algae Black took years, starting with early ideation and testing, through to refining the pigment, securing regulatory approval, and formulating finished products that met our uncompromising standards. Every step demanded precision, persistence, and a deep commitment to doing things differently.
The Challenge: Create a True Black - Sustainably
Most black pigments in beauty come from iron oxides or carbon black - either mined from the earth or derived from fossil fuels. We asked ourselves:
- Can we create a black pigment without relying on mining or oil?
- Can it be approved for cosmetic use?
- And can it actually perform like traditional pigments?
Spoiler: After a lot of no’s, the answer was finally yes - but getting there was anything but easy.
What Made It Worth It – and Why We Took on the Impossible
So why take on the challenge of reinventing black pigment from the ground up? Because some things are worth doing differently - even when they seem impossible.
There were a few key moments that reminded us why the journey mattered:
- The first working prototypes – when our team tried the formula and simply said, “This is it.”
- Securing the INCI – after months of collaboration, paperwork, and scientific back-and-forth, Algae Black now has its very own INCI name, officially approved for use in cosmetics.
- Winning the IFSCC Sustainability Award – a moment of real validation from the global cosmetic science community.
- Relaunching THEUNSEEN with Algae Black – a powerful symbol of resilience and renewal after a tough year.
The Near-Misses
Regulatory approval and performance testing were major roadblocks. Until we saw that Algae Black could match traditional pigments in performance and had the green light to use it in beauty, the future felt uncertain. But with support from dedicated experts, we got it there.
Why It Matters
Algae Black isn’t just a new pigment - it’s a vision for what beauty can be. Created from renewable algae waste, the pigment is made via a carbon-negative process. That means it removes more CO₂ from the atmosphere than it emits. In fact, Algae Black removes 4x its weight in CO₂ while traditional carbon black emits 4x its weight.
This is Only the Beginning
At THE UNSEEN, we believe the future of beauty is visible and invisible - what’s on your skin, and what’s left behind. Algae Black is our first step toward creating products that not only perform, but actively improve the world around us.
