This week, we met with our Emergence Atlantic Canada's Bioscience Business Incubator mentoring team. Looking at a map of participating companies across Atlantic Canada, we couldn't help but pause when we saw our pin on the map. There we were – a skincare company from the tiny, remote community of Grates cove, Newfoundland and Labrador – connected to a growing network of bioscience innovators across the region. 

From Grates Cove to a growing Atlantic Canadian bioscience network.

What began as a search for relief from Terrence’s painful skin barrier problem has led to meaningful conversations with scientists, entrepreneurs, and researchers exploring the potential of marine bioactives. Through Emergence Atlantic Canada's Bioscience Business Incubator, we're learning alongside scientists, founders, and innovators exploring new possibilities from marine resources, biotechnology, and natural products.

During our mentoring conversation, a word came up that caught our attention: the Pleiotropic Effect. It's a scientific term used when one compound or biological mechanism creates multiple effects throughout a system. The word itself was new to us, but the idea wasn’t – since 2016, when we first discovered the laminaria digitata that helped relieve Terrence’s skin irritation around his ostomy site, we’ve spoken about seaweed in a holistic way. We’ve chosen not to fracture our aqueous seaweed extract into isolated compounds, because we’ve always believed the power of seaweed lies in the whole extract and the way its’ bioactives work together. 

We’ve seen it in the research, but we’ve also seen it in your stories – people often come to 7 Fathoms for a specific reason, whether it’s dry skin, irritation, sensitivity, or a compromised skin barrier, but many customers tell us they leave with more than they expected. 

Their skin barrier may feel stronger, their skin feels stronger, and they’re more resilient to everyday exposure. Two customers can have a completely different experience with the same product – and perhaps that’s why so many people connect with it. The seaweed growing along our coastlines face cold water, shifting tides, storms, and environmental stress. And skin weathers storms too – whether it’s years of weather and exposure, chronic skin conditions, or hormonal shifts. The stories are different but often the need is just having skin that feels calm and comfortable again. The term pleiotropic resonated with us because neither seaweed nor skin is simple. Both are complex systems, and for years we’ve observed something that science is still helping us understand: the whole can be greater than the sum of its parts. 

What’s your experience been with seaweed? We’ve love to hear your story.

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