Miracle of the SeaAcne scars & stretch marks
Made by a Beverly Hills dermatologist · US Patent 10,772,825
Shop Natural Marine Extract™Shop
Blanca's right cheek on March 24, before starting Natural Marine ExtractMarch 24
The same cheek on August 13, after five monthsAugust 13
Blanca, 18. 2% gel once a day for five months. See her visits ↓

Acne scars & stretch marks

Most acne scars and stretch marks are thin, atrophic skin. Natural Marine Extract™ was made for it.

Under a microscope, the skin of a scar or a stretch mark has lost much of its collagen, elastin and hyaluronic acid. Beverly Hills dermatologist Eric Lewis, MD spent 25 years developing a patented marine complex for skin like this. You massage it in once a day, at home.Developed over 25 years by Beverly Hills dermatologist Eric Lewis, MD. Once a day, at home.

5.0 from 1,000+ patients30-day guarantee on your first 15mLFree first-order shipping

Eric Lewis, MDDermatologist since 1981
25 yearsOf marine research
283Completed the four-month study
PatentUS 10,772,825
14 speciesAll on the label
In the pressFeatured in Forbes
Close-up of a young woman's cheek with acne scarring

Living with scars

Most people with scars have spent years working around them.

  • "I had bad acne growing up. The dermatologist I saw then put me under a sun lamp for sun lamp treatments for acne."

    Debra, 66 · Acne growing up, then sun damage

  • "I had really thin skin on my arms… I would have to wear band-aids and cover the skin back up. It was really pretty bad."

    Nicki · Thin skin on her arms

  • "Every few weeks, few months I would have these lesions burned off, burned off, burned off with treatment. I was barely treading water."

    Dr. Michael Clinite, retired dentist · Years of spots burned off

Makeup can cover the color of a scar. The texture comes from thin skin underneath it, and that is where Dr. Lewis focused.

Look beneath the surface ↓

Stretch marks

Stretch marks show up at every age and on every body type.

Growth spurts, pregnancy, weight change, muscle gain and steroids can all bring them on. Genes play a large part.

The medical nameStriae distensae (opens Mayo Clinic in a new tab)

Lines where the dermis was stretched thin and its collagen and elastin pulled apart.

50 to 90%of people get them at some point.7
How they change
NewPink to purplestriae rubraeWith timeSilvery whitestriae albae
Most common on

Abdomen Breasts Hips Thighs Buttocks Lower back Upper arms

Beneath the surface

Under a microscope, a stretch mark or acne scar looks a lot like the thin, atrophic skin of the elderly.

Pick a scar, then switch on 2% Natural Marine Extract™ to see what changed in the biopsy. Hover or tapTap anything in the drawing to name it.

Cross-section of healthy skinCross-section of an acne scarCross-section of an acne scar with 2% Natural Marine ExtractCross-section of a stretch markCross-section of a stretch mark with 2% Natural Marine Extract 123
Illustration based on one thin-skin biopsy. Scars were not measured.

Healthy skin

Full thickness. Fibroblasts keep making collagen, elastin and hyaluronic acid, and capillaries keep them supplied, so the surface stays level and springs back.

  1. 1Collagen and elastinDense, woven fibers. Collagen gives skin its strength; elastin lets it stretch and return.
  2. 2FibroblastsThe cells that make collagen, elastin and hyaluronic acid.
  3. 3CapillariesTiny vessels that nourish the skin.

CompareChoose or to see what changes, then switch on 2% Natural Marine Extract™.

Healthy skin

Natural Marine Extract™ was made for thin skin. Choose or to see the difference.

An acne scar

Deep inflammatory acne destroys collagen as it heals. The skin over that spot ends up thinner, and the surface sinks into a depression.

  1. 1The dipThe "holes" people try to fill with layers of makeup. Concealer covers the color, but the dip stays.
  2. 2Thin skin belowFewer collagen fibers, fibroblasts and capillaries.
Close-up of acne scarring on Blanca's left cheek on March 24

At the surfaceBlanca's left cheek on March 24, before she started.

An acne scar with 2% NME

In the biopsy, thin skin treated with 2% Natural Marine Extract™ had 20 to 35 times more fibroblasts and 10 to 15 times more capillaries than the untreated side.

  1. +More fibroblastsThe cells that make the collagen, elastin and hyaluronic acid a scar is short on.
  2. +More capillariesTo supply the skin as it rebuilds.
Blanca's left cheek on August 13

At the surfaceBlanca's left cheek on August 13, five months in.

A stretch mark

Paper-thin, atrophic, wrinkled skin. Elastin fibers are completely lost, and collagen, hyaluronic acid, fibroblasts and capillaries drop sharply.

  1. 1A see-through stripeThe skin is thin enough to see through, so the stripe looks pink to blue. Older marks turn white.
  2. 2No elastin leftCollagen runs thin and flat, so the skin no longer springs back.
Stretch marks across a patient's back, before treatment

At the surfaceA patient's back before treatment.

A stretch mark with 2% NME

In the biopsy, treated thin skin grew 3 to 4 times thicker beneath the surface, with 2 to 6 times more collagen, elastin and hyaluronic acid. Elastin is the fiber a stretch mark has lost, and thicker skin is harder to see through.

  1. +Elastin and collagenThe fibers that let skin stretch and spring back.
  2. +More fibroblastsThe cells that make them.
The same back after four months of Natural Marine Extract

At the surfaceThe same back after four months of Natural Marine Extract™.

Skin thicknessFullThin beneath the dipThin across the stripeMore fibroblasts and fibers

Illustration for explanation, not to scale. The 2% view is drawn from biopsy findings in thin skin; scars were not measured. Individual results vary.

Featured in Forbes · 2015

The article described how Natural Marine Extract™ works, and what its formulators say sets it apart.

Read the excerpt

"MBET Natural Marine Extract™ is the active component found from the sea which rejuvenates by stimulating the [fibroblasts] in your skin to produce more [fibroblasts], new and existing, to produce more collagen, elastin and hyaluronic acid, well known to be the secrets to youthful skin.

This is the only active ingredient that we know of that stimulates [fibroblasts] to reproduce."

Holding a jar of Natural Marine Extract™ in front of a shelf of productsHolding a jar of Natural Marine Extract™ beside a clothing rack

Seen with

Angela Bassett and Alex Borstein with Natural Marine Extract™.

Gloved hands pouring a golden marine extract into a test tube in a laboratory

The four-month study

283

dermatology patients completed Dr. Lewis's four-month study, each one their own comparison.

Each patient applied 2% Natural Marine Extract™ to one side of the body (hand, forearm, chest and face) and the identical base without it to the other.

The study looked at thin skin, not scars. Acne scars and stretch marks are thin skin, so it shows what the extract did in the kind of tissue a scar is made of.

151 · 132men and women, of 294 enrolled
0allergic reactions recorded, including among 14 people with seafood allergies

The biopsy

What 2% Natural Marine Extract™ did to thin skin, under the microscope

Same patient. Same magnification. One side treated.

A 60-year-old patient after 46 applications. Left: base lotion only. Right: the same lotion with 2% Natural Marine Extract™.

UntreatedContractionDepthUntreated control skin
Base lotion only
Treated · 2% NMEContractionDepthSkin treated with 2% Natural Marine Extract
Base lotion with 2% Natural Marine Extract™

The frame did not change. The tissue did.

How to read it

Rings mark capillaries. Small blue dots mark fibroblasts. Both specimens were cut to the same size and are shown at the same scale. The marker at the side measures the thickness of the tissue. The marker above measures its width, which draws in as the tissue tightens.

Counted in the biopsy

What changed in the treated skin

Behind this panelFibroblasts, magnified: the dark, spindle-shaped nuclei among the fibers they make.

Epidermal layerA fine ribbonEpidermal layer3 to 5× thickerDermal layerThinDermal layer3 to 4× thickerUntreatedWide, thin, bluishTreatedDrew in by 33%
Fibroblasts in this field255Capillaries in this field225Collagen and elastin fibers in this field312The epidermis, the surface layer you see and touchThe dermis, where collagen and elastin liveThe width of each sample once it was cut
20 to 35×more fibroblasts

The cells that make collagen, elastin and hyaluronic acid. The skin under a scar has too few of them.

10 to 15×more capillaries

Capillaries feed the cells that rebuild skin. Scars have fewer of them.

2 to 6×more collagen, elastin and hyaluronic acid

They keep skin level, let it spring back and hold moisture. A scar has lost much of all three.

3 to 5×thicker epidermal layer

The epidermis went from a fine ribbon to a full layer, with deep ridges where it anchors to the skin below.

3 to 4×thicker dermal layer

The dermis holds the collagen and elastin. It is the layer an acne scar or stretch mark is short on.

33%contraction

Thin skin loses its spring, so the untreated sample lay wide, thin and bluish. The treated sample drew itself in by a third.

Drawn at the middle of each range, for illustration. Counted in one patient's paired biopsies after 46 applications; scars were not measured.

Patient profile

Blanca, 18, used 2% gel once a day for five months.

Right cheek, March 24Right cheek, August 13Right cheek close-up, May 19Right side, August 13 Left cheek, March 24Left cheek, August 13Left cheek close-up, May 19Left side, August 13 March 24August 13 March 24May 19August 13

Unretouched photos from Dr. Lewis's practice. In Compare, the August photo is cropped and scaled to match the March framing. The May photos are close-ups.

PatientFemale, 18
HistoryLong history of acne scarring
VisitsMarch 24, May 19 and August 13

What she used

2% Natural Marine Extract™ in aloe vera gel

Massaged in once a day, every day, for five months.

Shop the 2% gel

Customer stories

Customers on the scars they lived with for years

Before it sold online, Natural Marine Extract™ sold across the counter in Dr. Lewis's Beverly Hills practice, to patients who see him repeatedly.

"My skin has cleared up, blemishes have been going away… the little brown spots are disappearing and my skin is starting to look younger."

JillActress · Topical · Blemishes and brown spots · Watch her video ↗

Video review"The progress that I've made is remarkable. People have commented on the texture of my skin. I've seen my acne scars receding."VickieAcne scars
A patient's upper back with several horizontal stretch marks, before treatmentBefore
The same back after four months of Natural Marine Extract, with the marks much fainterAfter four months
A patient of Dr. Lewis's. The same back, before and after four months of Natural Marine Extract™.
"It has dramatically improved a lot of my pre-cancers on my face, my lip, my nose, my scalp… I had big divots on my lip and they are getting better. As a physician, I think it's a remarkable product."

Jim Caplan, MDPhysician · Verified buyer

Video review"My cat… scratched me on my wrist… within a day and a half the whole wound healed. There's no scar! There's absolutely no scar now."Barbara, 75A scratch on her wrist Video review"It resolves my bruising very quickly as well as my scarring."Caroline S., 57Almond oil, 2%
5.0average rating
1,000+patients bought it from their dermatologist
<1%send it back
85%+buy it again

Figures from Dr. Lewis's practice, across the Miracle of the Sea line. Reviews are excerpted; individual results vary. Photography is editorial; customer photos are always labeled with the customer's name.

What to expect

Most scars take four to eight months of daily use.

That's what Dr. Lewis has seen in his practice. Skin builds collagen slowly and every scar is different, so open each stage to see when customers first noticed a change.

What it costs

A laser plan for acne scars can cost more than $9,000.

Laser resurfacing is priced per session, and acne scars usually take several. A 48mL bottle of Natural Marine Extract™ is $440. The two work differently, so this compares cost and recovery, not results.

How many laser sessions were you quoted?

One laser maker says most acne scar patients see results in 3 to 7 treatments. Each is figured at the American Society of Plastic Surgeons average of $1,829.
Laser resurfacing$1,829$3,658$5,487$7,316$9,145$10,974$12,803for 1 sessionfor 2 sessionsfor 3 sessionsfor 4 sessionsfor 5 sessionsfor 6 sessionsfor 7 sessions
  • Up to two weeks of recovery after each CO2 session
  • Pinkness that can take up to a year to fade
  • Risk of darker or lighter patches of skin
  • Scarring, which is rare but possible
Natural Marine Extract™ · 48mL pump$440about three months on the face
  • At home, once a day, in 20 seconds
  • No downtime
  • No allergic reactions recorded in the 283-patient study
  • $374 every 3 months on subscription
$1,389$3,218$5,047$6,876$8,705$10,534$12,363less than one laser sessionless than 2 laser sessionsless than 3 laser sessionsless than 4 laser sessionsless than 5 laser sessionsless than 6 laser sessionsless than 7 laser sessions
"My skin used to be very thin and definitely more wrinkly… I will never be without it. It's changed my life."

ValPaddler and surfer · Topical · Watch the video ↗

Start smaller

The 15mL is $175 once, or $148.75 every month on subscription, and your first one is covered by our 30-day money-back guarantee.

Start with 15mL

Laser cost: American Society of Plastic Surgeons, average cost of skin resurfacing procedures. Recovery and risks: American Society of Plastic Surgeons, laser skin resurfacing recovery. Number of treatments: Cynosure. Your clinic's price and plan may differ.

Behind every bottle

Twenty-five years of marine research by a Beverly Hills dermatologist

Dr. Eric Lewis, MD, at a microscope in his practice
Beverly Hills · since 1981

Eric Lewis, MD

Director of the Beverly Hills Dermatology and Wound Care Research Center. For years, help for acne scars meant a clinic. He wanted something patients could use at home, every day.

UCLAMedical school, dermatology residency, later clinical instructor
1981Still seeing patients in Beverly Hills
PatentsIncluding Natural Marine Extract™ and the Miracle Bandage
BajaDonates surgical work in San Quintín, on the coast where NME is grown
Green and red abalone, just harvested at the Baja facility

Abalone

Green abaloneRed abalone

Naturally rich in collagen

Haliotis fulgens, Haliotis rufescens

In a laboratory study, abalone collagen extract strengthened the stem-cell qualities of human skin cells, the ones that renew the surface.1 Abalone was the first species MBET farmed, in 1999.

A sea cucumber resting on sand

Sea cucumbers

AshyDonkey dungSandfishGreenfish

Denser collagen and elastic fibers

Holothuria cinerascens, H. mexicana, H. scabra, Stichopus chloronotus

Collagen makes up most of the protein in a sea cucumber's body wall. In an animal study, a sea cucumber collagen cream left aging skin with denser collagen and elastic fibers.2

Purple sea urchins, spines wet and glossy

Urchins and scallop

Giant red urchinPurple urchinPacific pink scallop

Protective pigments and peptides

Strongylocentrotus franciscanus, S. purpuratus, Chlamys rubida

Urchin spines get their purple from spinochromes, which outperformed a reference antioxidant in lab tests.3 Peptides from a close relative of the pink scallop helped skin cells hold up under UVB light.4

Microalgae cultures in the MBET laboratory

Spirulina and algae

Hawaiian spirulinaSpirulinaBlue-green algae

Guards the collagen you have

Spirulina pacifica, Arthrospira platensis, blue-green algae

Spirulina's blue pigment, phycocyanin, cut free radicals in UVB-exposed skin cells by about half and lowered two collagen-degrading enzymes by roughly three quarters.5

A hand lifting giant kelp in clear water

Kelp

Giant kelpKnotted wrack

Shields elastic fibers

Macrocystis integrifolia, Ascophyllum nodosum

Brown seaweeds make fucoidan, a sea sugar that helped protect the elastic fibers of human skin from the enzymes that wear them down.6

5 families · 14 speciesSwipe →

Findings are laboratory and animal research on individual species or close relatives, not on Natural Marine Extract™ itself. Sources at the foot of the page. All 14 species are on the label; the proportions are Dr. Lewis's formula.

1999MBET starts as an abalone farm on the central Baja California coast
2001Twelve UCLA marine biologists search the world's literature for ocean compounds that benefit human health, and find more than 3,400
2012Eleven years of testing narrow 3,400 compounds to 88. The first patented combination is Natural Marine Extract™
2013A serum built on it wins Elle's Genius Award
TodayGrown at MBET's Baja facilities and bottled in small batches in Los Angeles

Before you decide

Questions people ask about scars

Which strength should I start with?
2%. It is the concentration used in the four-month study. Higher strengths are for established users.
Aloe vera gel or almond oil?
The gel is lighter and most used for acne scars and oily skin. The almond oil is richer and suits drier skin. For deep scars or stretch marks, apply the gel first, then the almond oil.
How do I use it with my other skincare?
Apply it first, to clean skin, and massage vigorously for 20 seconds once a day. Your usual moisturizer and the rest of your routine go on after.
Does it work on stretch marks as well as acne scars?
Customers use it on both. Under a microscope, both are thin, atrophic skin. Individual results vary.
Is tingling or pinkness normal?
Yes, it is a sign Natural Marine Extract™ is working. Starting after five to fifteen uses, some people feel a tingle and see a little pinkness for up to an hour. If it bothers you, mix it with your usual lotion and use it less often. If irritation doesn't settle, stop using it and talk to your doctor.
Is it OK for sensitive skin?
No allergic reactions were recorded among the 283 participants who completed the study, including 14 with known seafood allergies. Individual tolerance varies; patch test first if your skin is reactive.
How long does a bottle last?
The 48mL pump lasts about three months on the face.
How does the subscription work?
It renews automatically at 15% off: a new bottle, and a charge, every month for the 15mL, every 2 months for the 30mL, every 3 months for the 48mL pump and every 4 months for the 60mL. Your price is shown next to "Subscribe" before you add it to your bag. Cancel online anytime, in a click; it takes effect right away. Read the subscription terms.
Is it tested on animals?
Never. MBET doesn't test its products on animals.
What if it's not for me?
Your first order of the smallest size at the lowest strength is covered by our 30-day money-back guarantee. Contact us within 30 days of delivery and send it back. We refund once it reaches us. Always start with 2% strength. 4% and 10% are final sale and can't be returned.

Build your formula

Start with 2%, the strength used in the study

Then choose your base, size and scent.

1

Choose your base

Same Natural Marine Extract™. Different feel.

Deep scars or stretch marks? Many people use the gel first, then the almond oil.

2

Strength

Every new customer starts at 2%.

Already using Natural Marine Extract™? Change strength

Higher strengths are for established users with very damaged skin. The four-month study evaluated 2% only. 4% and 10% are final sale and can't be returned.

3

Choose your size

The 15mL is the low-risk way to start. The 48mL pump lasts about three months on the face.

For stretch marks, one pump covers about the lower back, one buttock or the upper part of one thigh.

At 10%, the aloe vera gel comes in the 15mL and 48mL pumps only. Pick one of those, or choose almond oil above.

The 48mL pump comes in aloe vera gel only. Choose aloe vera gel above, or pick another size.

4

Choose your scent

Identical formula, identical price.

Your formula

Aloe Vera GelAlmond Oil · 2%4%10% · 15mL30mL60mL48mL pump · Ocean BreezeLavenderLemonPeppermint

$148.75$175$263.50$310$450.50$530$374$440$238$280$374$440$654.50$770$561$660$425$500$1,028.50$1,210$374$440$748$880$1,309$1,540Pick a sizeevery month2 months4 months3 months until you cancelone-time

You save $26.25$46.50$79.50$66$42$66$115.50$99$75$181.50$66$132$231 on every bottleOr subscribe and save $26.25$46.50$79.50$66$42$66$115.50$99$75$181.50$66$132$231 per bottle

This strength is final sale and can't be returned.

Add to bag · $148.75$175$263.50$310$450.50$530$374$440$238$280$374$440$654.50$770$561$660$425$500$1,028.50$1,210$374$440$748$880$1,309$1,540Pick a size

Most scars take four to eight months. Subscribers get the next bottle before they run out.

30-day guarantee

Try your first 15mL for 30 days.

Start with the 15mL at 2%, the strength used in Dr. Lewis's study. If it isn't for you, contact us within 30 days of delivery and send it back. We refund once it reaches us.

Free shippingOn your first order. No minimum, no code.
No lock-inBuy once, or subscribe and cancel online anytime, in a click.
Shop Natural Marine Extract™

The 30-day money-back guarantee applies to your first order of the smallest size at the lowest strength. Other 2% sizes are covered by our standard return policy. 4% and 10% are final sale and can't be returned.

Miracle of the Sea is a cosmetic product and does not claim to treat, cure or prevent any disease. All results are individual. Statements have not been evaluated by the FDA.

ReferencesStudies and sources cited on this page

Ingredient research

Laboratory and animal studies on individual species or close relatives, not on Natural Marine Extract™.

  1. Thaweekitphathanaphakdee S, et al. Abalone collagen extracts potentiate stem cell properties of human epidermal keratinocytes. Marine Drugs, 2019.
  2. Hashemi G, et al. Anti-wrinkle and antioxidant activity of collagen from Holothuria leucospilota. Jundishapur J Nat Pharm Prod, 2025.
  3. Brasseur L, et al. The roles of spinochromes in four shallow water tropical sea urchins. Marine Drugs 15(6):179, 2017.
  4. Liu XJ, et al. Polypeptide from Chlamys farreri and UVB-induced damage in HaCaT cells. J Photochem Photobiol B 96(2):109–116, 2009.
  5. Jang YA, Kim BA. Protective effect of spirulina-derived C-phycocyanin against UVB-induced damage in HaCaT cells. Medicina 57(3):273, 2021.
  6. Senni K, et al. Fucoidan, a sulfated polysaccharide from brown algae, is a potent modulator of connective tissue proteolysis. Arch Biochem Biophys 445(1):56–64, 2006.

Stretch mark prevalence

  1. Mendes N, et al. A narrative review of current striae treatments. Healthcare 10(12):2565, 2022.

Laser comparison

  • Cost, recovery and risksAmerican Society of Plastic Surgeons
  • Number of treatmentsCynosure

Biopsy figures

Paired biopsies from one patient after 46 applications, in Dr. Lewis's four-month study of 283 dermatology patients.

Aloe Vera GelAlmond Oil · 2%4%10% · 15mL30mL60mL48mL pump · Ocean BreezeLavenderLemonPeppermint$148.75$175$263.50$310$450.50$530$374$440$238$280$374$440$654.50$770$561$660$425$500$1,028.50$1,210$374$440$748$880$1,309$1,540Pick a size every month2 months4 months3 months, cancel anytime one-time30-day guarantee
Shop now