An entrepreneur biologist is brining to market a series of health and beauty aids that he helped discover nearly thirty years ago.

The flagship product, Ocean Glow, is a patent pending formulation whose principal ingredient, extract from a high growth rate South African marine kelp, is said to have healing properties for a variety of skin ailments such as eczema, insect bites, and sunburn. Additional formulations are being developed as an aftershave lotion, a hair dressing, for personal wipes, as a personal lubricant, and for use in spas as a seaweed wrap.

Steve Pheiffer, the president of Cambrian Biotechnologies, Inc. discovered the unique properties of Ecklonia kelp while studying rock lobsters as a novice marine biologist for the Republic of South Africa. He returned to graduate school and teamed with Nigel Christie to study kelp bed ecology. His research documented the unusually high growth rate of the Ecklonia, a kelp plant that had adapted to the severe waves breaking against the Cape Town coastline.

Bob Friedman, a mechanical engineer, joined the team to help Christie and Pheiffer develop a method of extracting the kelp juice using heat-free mechanical techniques. They experimented using their extract as an organic growth stimulant for agricultural products that was applied to thousands of acres of crops in South Africa.

Believing the U.S. to be a significant potential market for the product, Pheiffer moved his family, first to Virginia, and finally settling in Carbon County, Pennsylvania. He purchased the former A to Z Fencing property on Rt. 903 in the Penn Forest Township suburb of Jim Thorpe, and set up shop as Agro Organics with a retail store in front called The Garden Shed.

Pheiffer began marketing his organic agricultural products—the kelp growth stimulant, a fish-based nutrient fertilizer, and a mixture of the two—at a time when organic farming was a fledgling industry.

While waiting for the organic farming market to mature, Pheiffer began to focus on another of the qualities of the kelp—it helped tone skin and improved hair shine and manageability.

He researched a method of refining the kelp juice using multiple filtrations with a final ultrasonic step that broke apart and dissolved the cell nutrients. Over time, he developed a blend of the kelp extract with purified Pocono Mountain water and essential oils and packed it in a 12-ounce spray bottle as Ocean Glow.

In order to avoid confusing customers, a new company was created, Eco Family LLC, to market the health, beauty and wellness products.

Six years ago, during a conversation with neighbor Lee Bond, Pheiffer was telling her about his business and she suggested that he contact the Ben Franklin Technology Partners. By 2006, he had received many positive testimonials about Ocean Glow. Pheiffer realized that he had taken the business as far as he could by himself and he needed professional help to position his company to enter the national beauty and wellness market.

He approached Ben Franklin, who invited him to make a presentation. As a result, he was offered $8,000 to work with a consultant and develop a business plan. He selected John Chaya of Alignment Consulting International of Allentown. They worked on the plan for nearly four months. “It was like writing a Ph. D. thesis,” Pheiffer said. “It was extremely intense—from where the kelp leaves the shores of Africa to when it goes into a bottle.”

With the completion of the business plan, Pheiffer qualified for a $35,000 Ben Franklin loan. The money was used to market Ocean Glow at three national trade exhibits where marketing feelers were received from Amazon, Yahoo and Whole Foods—who suggested they produce additional lines of kelp-based products.

Ben Franklin suggested that the Agro Organics and Eco Family companies be merged under a neutral name. In April 2007, the companies merged and changed their name to Cambrian Biotechnologies, Inc.

Pheiffer is back in the laboratory working on variations of his kelp product. He is currently working on a nail & cuticle restorer, a bath gel, and a seaweed wrap for use in spas.

“It is fascinating,” said Pheiffer. “The potential is great. I am excited and optimistic about the potential for these kelp-based products.”