Louth company breaks new ground in skincare innovation

A Louth company that began life harvesting sea salt from the pristine waters off Clogherhead is scaling the production of its world-first pure liquid magnesium with support from the Fisheries Local Action Group (FLAG) Northeast programme. Oriel Sea Salt operates in the international wellbeing and skincare sectors, producing free-ion liquid magnesium sustainably extracted from deep seawater.

The company has received a €26,000 grant to upgrade its production plant through the Fisheries Local Action Group (FLAG) Northeast scheme, part of the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF) which supports the Irish seafood sector.

The investment will allow Oriel Sea Salt to increase production capacity, meet growing international demand and continue creating skilled employment in a coastal community, illustrating BIM’s role in enabling marine-based enterprises to grow beyond traditional seafood markets.

Welcoming the investment, interim BIM CEO Richard Donnelly said: “Oriel Sea Salt is a strong example of how innovation rooted in our coastal communities can deliver real economic impact. With BIM and FLAG support, the company has transformed a natural marine resource into a globally competitive product that is creating jobs, opening new markets and showcasing the strength of Ireland’s blue economy.”

He added: “This is exactly the type of diversification BIM supports - helping coastal enterprises add value, scale sustainably and build resilience for the future.”

Founded in 2013, Oriel Sea Salt began as a sea salt producer before uncovering the commercial potential of the mineral-rich liquid found in deep seawater, according to co-founder and managing director Brian Fitzpatrick.

“Oriel sustainably extracts sea salt using an energy-efficient, sealed and pressurised system,” he said. “Early on, we realised the real opportunity lay in the extraordinary concentrations of magnesium and trace elements present in the seawater. Developing a way to extract and commercialise those minerals led to our patented technology.”

Following a decade of research, the company developed a patented process to extract free-ion magnesium, a form that is immediately bioavailable and not currently available anywhere else in the world.

In 2024, the company entered the US market and has since secured a distribution agreement in Asia. Its magnesium drops are now stocked in more than 180 independent health stores across Ireland.

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“We’re proud to be harvesting one of Ireland’s greatest natural resources - the ocean - in a sustainable way using Irish-developed technology,” Fitzpatrick said. “With continued investment in research and production, we see enormous potential to grow further while remaining rooted in our coastal community.”

The closing date for applications to the FLAG Coastal Communities Development Scheme is 29 January 2026. Further details are available at bim.ie.