PODCAST – ‘Sea cucumber changed my skin’: Founder of Bescher on the ocean’s best-kept anti-ageing secret

Launched in 2019, Bescher is an Australian skin care brand that offers products made with medical grade sea cucumber type-I collagen.

Despite its name, sea cucumbers are marine invertebrates belonging to the echinoderm group, which includes starfishes and sea urchins. They have a long history as a delicacy in Chinese cuisine and are believed to have medicinal value.

Bescher founder Renee Alyce told us that sea cucumber collagen is superior to other conventional collagen, like bovine or fish collagen.​

“When sea cucumbers see a predator, its self-defence mechanism is to vomit out and spit out its guts. Within three to six weeks, the sea cucumber will regenerate its insides and its skin back because of a rare form of marine collagen and is the only one that can regrow back on call.”​

Alyce conceived the idea of developing skin care with this marine ingredient while she was living on an island in the pacific where the climate was harsh and people who lived there were prone to tropical skin infection caused by the unhealed insect bites.

Without a pharmacy (or a Sephora), the locals relied on traditional natural ingredients such as handmade cold-pressed coconut oil.

“I was fascinated by all the different plants on the island that I could potentially use on my skin. I got in a really creative frame of mind as I walked around the island or went swimming in the crystal caves. I wanted to find something that could soak up the minerals of this amazing island,” ​said Alyce.

She later learnt that local villagers used sea cucumber topically to heal minor wounds, infections and other skin conditions.

This drove Alyce to research the topical uses for sea cucumber collagen, and she learnt that it had the potential to improve ageing signs like wrinkles.

“I wasn’t in the position to create my brand at the time, but the idea never left my mind. Sea cucumber collagen changed my skin and how I felt about myself… I'm just so glad that I can share this incredible ingredient with other people. I really feel like it's going to burst into the industry and I’m really excited for it.”​

To learn more about sea cucumber collagen, Bescher and Renee, check out our podcast above or on Apple Podcast.