It's a Shore Thing

You may be inclined to wrinkle your nose at the mention of seaweed. Pungent and slimy, it's usually something to avoid at the beach, not your first choice for something to drink, eat or wear. But that unflattering — and undeserved — image is now changing. As a natural resource with unique, health-boosting properties, seaweed is showing up in an increasing variety of products as companies find new ways to market the renewable marine resource.

At its ultramodern factory in Brest, France, the laboratory company Science et Mer recently launched its own line of seaweed-based skin creams based...