The beauty of Caribbean beaches is increasingly being overshadowed by an unwelcome guest: sargassum. This withered-looking algae breaks with the waves and heaps up along the shoreline, turning picturesque coastlines into eyesores. For both villagers and visitors, beaches lose their charm. Tourists are repelled, and business opportunities for residents dwindle.
In the village of Hope, Tobago, the local beach, once the subject of postcards and tourism campaigns, now suffers under the weight of sargassum. Stretching for miles and lined with swaying coconut trees, it should be a scene of surreal beauty. But, like many beaches on the island, sargassum has stolen the spotlight, making it difficult for residents and tourists to fully enjoy its natural splendour.
Sargassum thrives in warm waters, and rising sea temperatures due to climate change create the perfect conditions for it to spread. According to the United Nations Environment Programme, this phenomenon has accelerated in recent years, with sargassum now appearing in larger quantities and at a faster rate than ever before.
A Fresh Perspective on a Coastal Crisis
Five years ago, Gennike Mayers moved from central Trinidad to Tobago.
“The best decision of my life,” she says of her move.
Settling in the village of Hope, Mayers quickly became acquainted with the ever-present sight—and smell—of sargassum. Rather than scorn it, she saw opportunity in the nuisance.
After attending a conference in 2020 where she learned about sargassum’s nutritional and medicinal properties, Mayers approached her friend Donna-Lisa Phillips, a beauty product entrepreneur, with an idea. She suggested they incorporate seaweed into skincare.
It was a game-changer. Two years later, the duo launched Spargassum, a skincare line made from the very algae that were once ruining their beach.
“The idea really came from the science,” Mayers explained.
“Donna-Lisa and I are not scientists but we’ve been following the science of sargassum including all the findings and research, and with Donna-Lisa’s expertise in skincare, together we partnered on this line.”
The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) backed their vision, providing support to the start-up.
“Most people think of sargassum as a nuisance. However, we like to talk about turning trash into treasure,” said Mayers.
Bu“We’re very proud to be behind a brand that turns waste into wealth and we’re doing that locally. There is a lot of talk now about sustainability and the circular economy. This is the circular economy.”
A Caribbean Solution to a Caribbean Problem
Having already expanded into Antigua and Barbuda—another island struggling with sargassum—Mayers and Phillips have their eyes set on further growth.
“We want to conquer the world because our product is unique. We are a Caribbean solution to a Caribbean problem,” said Mayers.
“There is not a single island in the Caribbean that is not familiar with the problem of sargassum. We want to be able to export our solution throughout the Caribbean region.”
While Mayers describes her environmental contribution as modest for now, the potential is growing.
“At the operational size that we have right now we are producing at a very small scale so I cannot make any big boast about cleaning up the entire beach of sargassum,” she noted.
“However, that is our ambition. We want to make a bigger footprint in terms of how much sargassum we remove from the sea and shoreline. Right now it is on a small scale but we are happy to do our part. As we say in the Caribbean, every drop fills the bucket.”
Sweet Scents and Sustainability
The response to Spargassum has been overwhelmingly positive.
“People love the scent. They love the fact that something they thought of being smelly and itchy on your skin actually makes your skin soft and smooth and makes you smell good,” Mayers said.
Customers are also drawn to the eco-friendly packaging. The brand uses glass bottles and minimises plastic use, with branding that proudly highlights its Tobagonian roots, making it a popular souvenir for tourists.
Although Mayers had no prior knowledge of sargassum’s potential uses, sustainability has long been part of her lifestyle.
“It’s a way of life for me and this carries on with sargassum where we found information which says that sargassum seaweed has useful nutrients that are good for the human being and so we turned it into something useful and pleasant to use,” she explained.
Turning the Tide
Across the region, sargassum is increasingly being repurposed for fertilisers, animal feed, biomaterials, and biofuels. While its rapid spread remains a worrying sign of our warming planet, creative solutions like Spargassum offer a hopeful counterbalance.
In the small village of Hope, one woman’s initiative is helping to transform a coastal crisis into an economic and environmental opportunity. It may be a small step, but it’s one with the potential to ripple far beyond Tobago’s shores.
Small steps towards a global change.
—
This story was originally published by the Trinidad and Tobago Guardian, with the support of the Caribbean Climate Justice Journalism Fellowship, which is a joint venture between Climate Tracker Caribbean and Open Society Foundations.
