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Seaweed may not seem like the answer to a spotty teenager’s problems, but scientists say that it can banish the bugs that trigger acne.

An active ingredient extracted from brown seaweed found only off the coast of Brittany, France, can cut spots by nearly two thirds. A new clinical trial of treatments containing the ingredient showed the number of spots fell by 64 per cent after just eight weeks.

The trial is the first cosmetic clinical study into acne to be published in an official dermatology journal. The study investigated products from a range of OXY treatments using the active compound called Phycosaccharide ACP.

In a trial of 60 young men aged 14 to 21 years with mild acne, half used the seaweed-based skin wash and balm, while the others used dummy products that did not contain the active ingredient.

The trial found OXY products were significantly more effective than the dummy face wash, scrub or gel. They cut the number of spots and problems areas as well as curbing inflammation and redness with significant improvement showing within just 14 days.

At the end of the study, OXY users had nearly twice the reduction of blackheads as the placebo group (60 per cent compared to 35 per cent) and significantly fewer spots (64 per cent reduction compared to 53 per cent).

The findings were published in the Clinical and Experimental Dermatology, an official journal of the British Association of Dermatologists.

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