J. Cosmet. Sci., 69, 447–462 (November/December 2018) 447 Preparation and Evaluation of Cream Mask from Vietnamese Seaweeds NGO THI HOAI THU, HOANG THI LAN ANH, HOANG THI MINH HIEN, NGUYEN CAM HA, LUU THI TAM, TRAN XUAN KHOI, TRAN MAI DUC, and DANG DIEM HONG, Institute of Biotechnology, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, Hanoi, Vietnam (N.T.H.T., H.T.L.A., H.T.M.H., N.C.H., L.T.T., T.X.K., D.D.H.), Nha Trang Institute of Technology Research and Application, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, Nha Trang, Vietnam (T.M.D.) Accepted for publication December 1, 2018. Synopsis Seaweed is rich source of natural bioactive compounds that could be exploited as functional ingredient for cosmetic applications. The aim of this study was to evaluate the biochemical compositions and bioactivities of 10 seaweeds collected from coastal waters of Vietnam. The present study also prepared and evaluated cream mask from mixture of seaweeds extracted with water. The results showed that Caulerpa lentillifera, Sargassum crassifolium, Ulva reticulata, and Kappaphycus alvarezii are potential rich sources of protein, polysaccharide, carotenoids, and vitamins with high antibacterial, cell proliferation, moisture retention, and tyrosinase inhibitory activities. Physicochemical analysis of cream mask from a mixture of these seaweed extracts indicated that it is yellowish brown in color with a specifi c odor of seaweed, stable, and homogeneous for up to 12 months of storage, with a pH of 6.1, and high spread and adhesive abilities. No total aerobic mesophilic microorganisms, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Candida albicans, and heavy metals were detected in the seaweed mask cream. The seaweed cream mask was safe and caused no irritation to normal human skin, and it satisfi ed provisions of Circular No. 06/2011/TT-BYT dated January 25, 2011 of the Vietnam Ministry of Health, providing cosmetic management for the cosmetic products with anti-aging and moisturizing effects. INTRODUCTION Marine macroalgae or seaweed is taxonomically classifi ed into three major groups: green (Chlorophyta), brown (Phaeophyta), and red algae (Rhodophyta) (1). They are rich sources of highly bioactive secondary metabolites for applications in foods, pharmaceuticals, and cos- metics (2). It has been recognized that seaweed contains signifi cant amounts of mineral matter [1.1–2.5% dry weight (DW)], protein (1–30% DW), lipid (0.3–4% DW), poly- saccharides (15–65% DW), phytohormones, and pigments (2,3), in which seaweed extracts such as agar, carrageenan, and fucoidan have been used for nutritional and nutraceutical Address all correspondence to Dang Diem Hong at ddhong60vn@yahoo.com.