Saga of Idun

Saga of Idun is a Swedish skincare brand built around marine algae extract harvested along the country's west coast. It makes organic, vegan formulas and positions itself as clean skincare free from hormone-disrupting substances. The brand was launched in mid-2021 by Åsa Jisbrant [6], and it remains active: it publishes a regular skincare blog, runs a live online shop, and is stocked by Swedish retailers including Lyko. It now trades on its own website under the name Sagan Sea, though it continues to use the Saga of Idun name across its social accounts, its contact address, and its retailer listings.

The name refers to Idun, the Norse goddess associated with eternal youth.

The brand grew out of a personal health problem. Founder Åsa Jisbrant developed a thyroid disorder that slows the body's metabolism and left her skin reactive to hormone-disrupting ingredients [6]. Looking for skincare without such chemicals, she turned to the nutrient-rich sea algae of the Gothenburg archipelago and built a range around it, launching Saga of Idun in the middle of 2021 [6].

There is some ambiguity over the brand's starting point. Editorial coverage of the founding, based on an interview with Jisbrant, dates the launch of the skincare line to mid-2021 [6]. The underlying company, Saga of Idun AB, was registered earlier, in 2010, according to the Swedish business register [10] — a corporate shell that predates the skincare brand itself. The 2021 date reflects when the products reached the market.

Saga of Idun sells organic skincare, with a marine algae extract as its signature ingredient. The company describes the extract as highly moisturising — comparable, in its own account, to hyaluronic acid — and rich in antioxidants such as vitamins C and E [3]. Beyond algae, the formulas draw on a familiar set of actives: hyaluronic acid, niacinamide, aloe vera, shea butter, and bakuchiol, which the brand presents as a gentler alternative to retinol. It also uses Pentavitin, a sugar-beet-derived humectant the company says binds moisture for up to 72 hours [3].

Products are sold both directly and through third-party retailers, among them the beauty chain Lyko. A recurring item is the brand's skincare starter set, reviewed by the Swedish clean-beauty publication Naturligt Snygg, whose reviewer rated it four out of five and described the skin as feeling "clean, fresh and rehydrated" after a month of use [7].

The brand frames its approach as skincare that "works with the skin, not against it," and says it was founded to develop effective, safe formulas free from hormone-disrupting substances and unnecessary chemicals. It emphasises what goes into its products rather than what is left out, while stating that they contain no microplastics, PEGs, silicones, or parabens, and that more than 95% of ingredients are of natural origin.

All products are described as vegan and are not tested on animals. Manufacturing takes place on the Swedish west coast. The company states that its range is made in line with Eco Cert standards but notes that it does not hold formal Eco Cert certification, citing the cost.

In 2022, Saga of Idun won "Årets ekologiska hudvårdsserie" (Organic Skincare Series of the Year) at the Beauty Oscar awards run by the Swedish beauty-editors collective Skönhetsredaktörerna [9]. The jury's citation described it as "luxurious skincare where every ingredient is weighed on gold scales to respect both nature and humanity" [9].

The brand is active. Its online shop is live, its products are carried by Swedish retailers, and its blog has published regularly, with posts dated as recently as March 2026 [5]. Its FAQ indicates operations in Sweden and Finland, though its primary market is Sweden.

At some point the business rebranded its consumer-facing site to Sagan Sea, at sagansea.com, while keeping the Saga of Idun identity in several places: the @sagaofidun social handles, the info@sagaofidun.com contact address, the legal entity Saga of Idun AB, and its listings at retailers such as Lyko and Naturligt Snygg. The two names refer to the same company.