What does Padina Pavonica do?#
A leave-on serum with an extract of Padina pavonica, a small fan-shaped brown seaweed from Mediterranean and Atlantic shores. It is carried as an antioxidant, the role green tea or vitamin E plays in a routine, and used for the look of smooth, supple skin.
Benefits
- An antioxidant step, the same role green tea or vitamin E plays in a routine
- Carried in leave-on formulas for the look of smooth, supple skin
- Made for daily use, morning or night — no acid and no retinoid, the two things that usually call for easing in
- Not an exfoliant, so it adds no extra exfoliation to stack with acids or retinol
How it works
Padina pavonica is a small, fan-shaped brown seaweed that grows in shallow water around the Mediterranean and along Atlantic coasts. Its extract carries the alga's own polyphenols — the compounds that mop up reactive molecules in laboratory tests — and the water-holding sugars of its cell walls. That radical-scavenging action is the one property every study of it agrees on; everything else is early laboratory and animal work, and no published study has measured what it does on people.
What to expect
No published human study exists to draw on, so there is nothing to promise either way. It carries no acid and no retinoid, the two things that usually bring a break-in phase. Give it several weeks before judging.
How to use Padina Pavonica#
Before you start
Nothing in its record flags a patch test, but its safety record is shorter than most: no independent cosmetic-safety panel has published a review of it, and what is known comes from tests on related brown seaweeds rather than on this one. If your skin reacts easily, try it on a small patch for a day or two first.
Where it goes
After cleansing and before your moisturiser, at either end of the day — nothing about it prefers morning or night.
Where to apply
All over the face. Keep it out of the eye itself, as with any leave-on.
How to apply
A thin, even layer over the whole face. It is a quiet ingredient, and there is no reason to use more than that.
Sun
Wear sunscreen in the morning as you would anyway. Padina pavonica is not known to make skin more sensitive to sunlight, so this is general advice rather than a rule the ingredient adds.
Alongside others
It is not an exfoliant, so it adds no extra exfoliation to stack with acids or retinol, and nothing this wiki covers is flagged to keep apart from it. Give a runnier step a moment to settle before layering this over it.
What to expect
No published study has measured what it does on people, so there is nothing to promise either way. It carries no acid and no retinoid, the two things that usually bring a break-in phase. Give it several weeks before judging.
What to look for
On a label it reads Padina Pavonica Thallus Extract, or simply Padina Pavonica Extract. The most striking laboratory results come from concentrated fractions of the seaweed rather than the whole extract that goes into products, and the extract itself varies with the season it was harvested and how it was made — so two products naming it are not necessarily carrying the same thing.
If it doesn't suit
If it stings, or skin reddens and does not settle within a few minutes, rinse it off and stop using it. If anything else in your routine stings or stays red, pause that product, let skin settle, and reintroduce it on its own.
Discontinue use if unexpected discomfort occurs.
The form you will see it in
Padina pavonica antioxidant serum
- Where it goes
- Before moisturizer
Using Padina Pavonica with other ingredients
What not to use with Padina Pavonica
Nothing flagged. None of the ingredients this wiki covers needs to be kept apart from Padina Pavonica — check the label of anything not covered here.
Who should avoid Padina Pavonica?#
Six situations change whether Padina Pavonica suits your skin right now. Each one is either a reason to skip it, a reason to go slowly, or nothing to watch for.
- Maternity & Nursing
- No caution
- Fragile or Sensitive
- No caution
- Recent Facial or Laser
- No caution
- Prone to Redness
- No caution
- Dry or Itchy Patches
- No caution
- Recent Shave or Wax
- No caution
Cosmetic strength limits for Padina Pavonica where you live#
| Region | Most a cosmetic may contain | |
|---|---|---|
 United States | No explicit cap | |
The FDA restricts a short list of ingredients and sets no general strength ceiling on the rest. A figure marked "guidance, not law" is the Cosmetic Ingredient Review panel's recommendation. 21 CFR part 700, subpart B — Requirements for Specific Cosmetic Products (FDA) | ||
 Canada | No explicit cap | |
One list does the work — Health Canada's Hotlist of prohibited and restricted cosmetic ingredients. | ||
 European Union | No explicit cap | |
The Cosmetics Regulation's annexes, consolidated to 1 May 2026. A figure marked "guidance, not law" comes from the EU's cosmetic safety committee rather than from the annexes. | ||
 Great Britain | No explicit cap | |
Great Britain kept the annexes as its own law and updates them only when it chooses; Northern Ireland follows the live EU Regulation, which is why some rows read differently for each. Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 as it applies in Great Britain · Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009, Annexes II–VI | ||
 India | No explicit cap | |
India writes its own standard, aligned to the European rules as they stood in 2012. Mandatory since 9 February 2026. IS 4707 (Part 2):2025 — restricted and prohibited cosmetic ingredients · IS 4707 (Part 3):2025 — preservatives · Cosmetics Rules, 2020, Ninth Schedule | ||
 Brazil | No explicit cap | |
ANVISA rewrote its restricted list in June 2026, and a companion act amended the prohibited list at the same time. RDC 1.029/2026 — restricted ingredients · RDC 529/2021 — prohibited ingredients, as amended by RDC 1.030/2026 · RDC 528/2021 — preservatives | ||
 Japan | No explicit cap | |
Japan's cosmetics standard keeps drug ingredients out of cosmetics, so most of its figures sit in the ministry's list of the ones a cosmetic may still contain. Cosmetics Standards (化粧品基準), Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare · Cosmetics Standards — the ministry's own English translation · Drug ingredients permitted in cosmetics — 2007 notification | ||
 South Korea | No explicit cap | |
One MFDS regulation carries both the prohibited list and the restricted list, in force 18 March 2026. Sunscreens and a few other categories are cleared product by product instead. Regulation on Safety Standards for Cosmetics (MFDS Notification 2026-19) · Regulation on the Review of Functional Cosmetics (MFDS Notification 2025-88) | ||
 Kenya | No explicit cap | |
Kenya's standard applies the EU annexes as they stand rather than copying them, so its ingredient limits are the EU's — including the 2024 additions. A figure marked "guidance, not law" sits outside the annexes and does not carry over. KS EAS 377-1, -2 and -3:2022 — cosmetics safety requirements, published by KEBS · Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009, Annexes II–VI | ||
 Namibia | No explicit cap | |
Namibia sets no ingredient limits at all. Its cosmetic rule is a single line requiring a product to be free of any harmful ingredient. Foodstuffs, Cosmetics and Disinfectants Ordinance 18 of 1979, and the regulations under it | ||
 Ukraine | No explicit cap | |
Ukraine's own transposition of the EU annexes, as they stood before the 2024 additions, fully in force since 3 August 2026. A further revision is due on 1 February 2027. Technical Regulation on cosmetic products — Cabinet Resolution No. 65 of 20 January 2021 | ||
 Georgia | No explicit cap | |
Georgia has no cosmetics rulebook — its register of technical regulations carries no cosmetics entry — so only the general product-safety duty applies. | ||
 Australia | No explicit cap | |
Australia writes no cosmetic ingredient list. A figure here is the point at which a substance becomes a medicine or a scheduled substance carrying Caution labelling, so its numbers sit well above other markets'. Poisons Standard — June 2026 · Therapeutic Goods (Excluded Goods) Determination 2018 | ||
 United Arab Emirates | No explicit cap | |
The Gulf standard points at the EU annexes as amended, so its ingredient limits are the EU's. A figure marked "guidance, not law" sits outside the annexes and does not carry over. GSO 1943:2024 — Cosmetic products: safety requirements (Gulf technical regulation) · Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009, Annexes II–VI | ||
 Kuwait | No explicit cap | |
The Gulf standard points at the EU annexes as amended, so its ingredient limits are the EU's. A figure marked "guidance, not law" sits outside the annexes and does not carry over. GSO 1943:2024 — Cosmetic products: safety requirements (Gulf technical regulation) · Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009, Annexes II–VI | ||
 Hong Kong | No explicit cap | |
Hong Kong writes no cosmetics rulebook. Its Poisons List (Cap. 138A, Schedule 10) decides which substances may be sold only as medicines, and general safety is judged case by case against whichever overseas standard the enforcer considers reasonable. Pharmacy and Poisons Regulations (Cap. 138A), Schedule 10 — the poisons list · Pharmacy and Poisons Board — Guidance Notes on classifying pharmaceutical products, April 2026 | ||
 Singapore | No explicit cap | |
Singapore writes the ASEAN annexes into its own schedule, and its regulator tells companies to check the current ASEAN release as well — which is why a figure here can read "guidance, not law". Health Products (Cosmetic Products — ASEAN Cosmetic Directive) Regulations 2007, Third Schedule · ASEAN Cosmetic Directive annexes — release 2026-1, 22 June 2026 | ||
 Brunei | No explicit cap | |
Brunei carries the 2007 ASEAN annexes in its own schedule and has not updated them since, so it reads differently from Singapore on several ingredients. Medicines (Cosmetic Products) Regulations (Cap. 285 Rg 1), Schedule 1 — revised edition 2024 | ||
 Jordan | No explicit cap | |
Jordan's cosmetic rules defer to "the approved references" and name none of them, so there is no Jordanian figure to read. The only number in the instrument governs the ingredient list on the pack. JFDA instructions on cosmetics and pharmaceutical cosmetics, 2026 | ||
 Trinidad & Tobago | No explicit cap | |
Trinidad and Tobago has had the power to set cosmetic standards since 1960 and has never used it. The regulations made under the Act cover food and drugs, with no cosmetics part; what binds is the Act's general rule against selling a cosmetic that may injure the user. Food and Drugs Act, Chap. 30:01 · Food and Drugs Regulations | ||
No cosmetic regulator in the 20 markets above sets a maximum strength for padina pavonica. That is the state of the rules, not a signal to use more: how much goes into a product is the formulator's decision.
Open a market to see the rulebook its figure comes from. Those notes describe each market's own rules as we read them, current to August 24, 2026; the linked documents are the authority, and nothing here is legal advice.
Common questions about Padina Pavonica#
What is Padina Pavonica?
- A small fan-shaped brown seaweed from Mediterranean and Atlantic shores, used in leave-on products as an antioxidant, for the look of smooth, supple skin.
What else is Padina Pavonica called?
- On a label you may see Padina pavonica thallus extract and Padina pavonica extract.
When should you apply Padina Pavonica?
- Morning or evening.
How often can you use Padina Pavonica?
- Daily.
Where do you apply Padina Pavonica?
- All over the face. Keep it away from your eyes and lips.
Can you use Padina Pavonica around the eyes?
- Yes. Padina Pavonica goes all over the face, the skin around the eyes included — keep it out of your eyes and off your lips.
Does Padina Pavonica make skin more sensitive to the sun?
- No. Padina Pavonica is not flagged as increasing sun sensitivity.
What should you not use with Padina Pavonica?
- Nothing flagged. None of the ingredients this wiki covers needs to be kept apart from Padina Pavonica — check the label of anything not covered here.
Is there a cosmetic limit for Padina Pavonica?
- No. No cosmetic regulator in the United States, Canada, the European Union or Great Britain sets a maximum strength for it. That is a limit on the rules, not a signal to use more.
Related ingredients#
How we check this#
Everything on this page traces to the sources listed below — regulators' own publications and published studies. Where the evidence does not answer a question, it is left unanswered.
Some sources below are medical studies. This ingredient has been studied in conditions a doctor treats, and the record cited here includes findings that did not favour it. We use those studies for their safety and handling detail only. A cosmetic product is not a medicine and is not intended to treat, cure or prevent any condition.
Some sources below are the official product information for prescription medicines, cited for how they interact with this ingredient. We use them for their safety and handling detail only. A cosmetic product is not one of those medicines and is not intended to treat any condition.
Our review is AI-assisted and is not a named expert's opinion. Last reviewed September 11, 2026.
Think something here is out of date or wrong? Email us at wiki@skinintelligence.ai with your reasoning and where you read it. We read what people send, and we update the page when the sources support it.
Regulators and official bodies · 10
- S1CosIng — Cosmetics Ingredients: PADINA PAVONICA THALLUS EXTRACT (ingredient 58061). European Commission. No named author. — Tier 1.
- S2Cosmetic Ingredient Review. Safety Assessment of Brown Algae-Derived Ingredients as Used in Cosmetics — Draft Final Report for Panel Review, release date 15 March 2019, panel meeting 8–9 April 2019. Report prepared by Lillian C. Becker and Priya Cherian; 2019 Expert Panel chaired by Wilma F. Bergfeld, M.D., F.A.C.P. (names read from the document's own cover memorandum). — Tier 1.
- S3Ferguson P, Becker L, Bergfeld WF, Belsito DV, Klaassen CD, Liebler DC, Marks JG Jr, Shank RC, Slaga TJ, Snyder PW, Fiume M, Heldreth B. Safety Assessment of Brown Algae-Derived Ingredients as Used in Cosmetics. Int J Toxicol. 2026 Jul-Aug;45(2_suppl):5S-86S. doi:10.1177/10915818261455357. PMID 42503489. — Tier 1.
- S11MotherToBaby. Cosmetics Exposures in Pregnancy and Breastfeeding (fact sheet). Organization of Teratology Information Specialists. No named author. Cited only as a negative — contains no algae, seaweed or Padina entry. — Tier 1.
- S12Health Canada. Cosmetic Ingredient Hotlist — List of Ingredients that are Prohibited for Use in Cosmetic Products / List of Ingredients that are Restricted for Use in Cosmetic Products (2025 revision). No named author. — Tier 1.
- S13Roaccutane 10 mg soft capsules — Summary of Product Characteristics (emc; MHRA-approved product information), §4.4 Special warnings and precautions for use and §4.5 Interaction with other medicinal products. No named author. — Tier 1.
- S14Differin Cream — Summary of Product Characteristics (emc; MHRA-approved product information), §4.4 and §4.5. No named author. — Tier 1.
- S1721 CFR Part 700 Subpart B — Requirements for Specific Cosmetic Products. US Food and Drug Administration, via eCFR. No named author. — Tier 1.
- S18Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 on cosmetic products, Annex II — List of substances prohibited in cosmetic products (retained EU law as it applies in Great Britain), legislation.gov.uk. No named author. — Tier 1.
- S19Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 on cosmetic products, Annex III — List of substances which cosmetic products must not contain except subject to the restrictions laid down (retained EU law as it applies in Great Britain), legislation.gov.uk. No named author. — Tier 1.
Studies and references · 11
- S4Fayad S, Nehmé R, Tannoury M, Lesellier E, Pichon C, Morin P. Macroalga Padina pavonica water extracts obtained by pressurized liquid extraction and microwave-assisted extraction inhibit hyaluronidase activity as shown by capillary electrophoresis. J Chromatogr A. 2017 May 12;1497:19-27. doi:10.1016/j.chroma.2017.03.033. PMID 28372836. — Tier 2.
- S5Generalić Mekinić I, Šimat V, Botić V, Crnjac A, Smoljo M, Soldo B, Ljubenkov I, Čagalj M, Skroza D. Bioactive Phenolic Metabolites from Adriatic Brown Algae Dictyota dichotoma and Padina pavonica (Dictyotaceae). Foods. 2021 May 25. PMID 34070289; PMC8225107. — Tier 2.
- S6Makhlof MEM, El-Sheekh MM, El-Sayed AIM. In vitro antibiofilm, antibacterial, antioxidant, and antitumor activities of the brown alga Padina pavonica biomass extract. Int J Environ Health Res. 2024 Apr;34(4):1861-1878. doi:10.1080/09603123.2023.2165045. PMID 36617396. — Tier 2.
- S7Bernardini G, Minetti M, Polizzotto G, Biazzo M, Santucci A. Pro-Apoptotic Activity of French Polynesian Padina pavonica Extract on Human Osteosarcoma Cells. Mar Drugs. 2018 Dec 13. PMID 30551628; PMC6316765. — Tier 2.
- S8Abdel-Hakeem SS, Abdel-Raheem SM, Ismail H, Almathen F, Gad El-Rab SMF, Hifney AF. Successful Treatment of Cutaneous Acanthamoeba polyphaga With Marine Algae, Padina pavonica, Extract: Targeting TLR2/TLR4 Signal and Cytokeratin 18 in Immunocompromised Animals. Microsc Microanal. 2025 Nov 12;31(6):ozaf112. doi:10.1093/mam/ozaf112. PMID 41263681. — Tier 2.
- S9E M Makhlof M, M El-Sheekh M, Abbas H, Elsayed AM, Zewail M. Exploring the photoprotective and antiaging potential of Padina pavonica loaded Hyatocosomes: In-vitro evaluation and biological studies. Bioorg Chem. 2026 Aug 15;178:109952. doi:10.1016/j.bioorg.2026.109952. PMID 42105525. — Tier 2.
- S10Nour M, Stiger-Pouvreau V, Guenneguez A, Meslet-Cladière L, Cérantola S, Ali A, Simon G, Daher A, Petek S. Eco-Friendly Extraction of Phlorotannins from Padina pavonica: Identification Related to Purification Methods Towards Innovative Cosmetic Applications. Mar Drugs. 2024 Dec 28. PMID 39852517; PMC11766817. — Tier 2.
- S15Palpperumal S, Sankaralingam S, Balachandran C, Mahendran S, Venkatesh S, Alharbi NS, Thiruvengadam M, Duraipandiyan V, Baskar K. Antioxidant, Anticancer, Hepatoprotective and Wound Healing Activity of Fucopyranose (Sulfated Polysaccharides) from Padina pavonica (L.). Indian J Microbiol. 2024 Dec. PMID 39678974; PMC11645345. — Tier 2.
- S16Dalal SR. Efficacious biosorption of crystal violet pollutant dye from aqueous solutions via Padina pavonica derived alginate. Sci Rep. 2025 Jul 12. doi:10.1038/s41598-025-09752-y. PMID 40652005; PMC12255697. — Tier 2 .
- S20Čagalj M, Fras Zemljič L, Kraševac Glaser T, Mežnar E, Sterniša M, Smole Možina S, Razola-Díaz MDC, Šimat V. Seasonal Changes in Chemical Profile and Antioxidant Activity of Padina pavonica Extracts and Their Application in the Development of Bioactive Chitosan/PLA Bilayer Film. Foods. 2022 Nov 28. PMID 36496658; PMC9735525. — Tier 2 .
- S21Akl FMA, El-Sheekh MM, Makhlof MEM, Ahmed SI. Antimicrobial, antidiabetic, antiviral, and antioxidant activities of fucoidan extracted from the brown seaweed Padina pavonica. BMC Biotechnol. 2025 Jul 9. PMID 40634858; PMC12243346. — Tier 2.
