Eylíf health products

Eylíf, founded in 2018, is dedicated to facilitating access to sustainably produced, high-quality biomasses from Iceland to enhance consumer health and wellness. Eylíf’s product line, a range of food supplements, underscores its commitment to using sustainable Icelandic resources for health preservation. The company’s name, combining “Ey” (island) and “líf” (life) to signify “forever,” underscores its commitment to using sustainable Icelandic resources. Eylíf’s philosophy, “The first wealth is your health,” encourages informed choices for health preservation, reflecting the founder’s passion for well-being through responsible consumption. The company has been a part of the Iceland Ocean Cluster since 2018 and has played a significant role in creating opportunities for many producers of various blue value chains by-products.

Regional Context

Iceland has a proactive approach towards the blue bio-economy and capitalises on its historical dependence on the sea. Fish and fish products account for around 40% of Iceland’s exports. Direct employment in the fishing industry is estimated to be about 8,000 by Statistics Iceland. However, if all fishing-related activities are considered, the number of employees will likely exceed 30,000, approximately 17% of the total workforce in a country with fewer than 350,000 people.1

There is a growing trend of fishing-related activities that involve blue bio-economy ventures, which aim to maximise the value of fish waste and by-products from the fishery.

Although the government of Iceland has not yet developed a formal blue bio-economy strategy, several projects, start-ups, and initiatives are underway in Iceland. Such initiatives, like the Iceland Ocean Cluster (IOC), aim to find innovative ways to use existing resources more effectively and transform marine bio waste into new commodities. The IOC, in particular, strives to achieve 100% fish utilisation, which in Iceland currently stands at 80% (compared to an average rate of just over 50% in Europe and North America).2 Iceland’s government has recognised that innovation is essential to its ocean-based economy and is actively involved in research and innovation projects such as the Blue Bioeconomy Cofund. Moreover, it has been a driving force in establishing a Nordic Bioeconomy Programme under the intergovernmental Nordic Council of Ministers, which provides funding for bioeconomy projects.

Value Chain Eylíf operates with raw materials from various blue biomasses and is active in valorising multiple value chains. They use Astaxanthin, an ingredient derived from spray-dried microalgae known to support skin, heart, and brain health.3 They source calcified seaweed from Ískalk, a company located in a fjord in the Westfjords of Iceland, which extracts and processes this ingredient, a rich source of calcium-rich minerals that is highly bioactive and can be used as a dietary supplement.4 They also use GeoSilica, a natural and vegan-certified quality product that extracts minerals from the geothermal areas of Iceland using a revolutionary production method.5 They source Chitosan (Liposan Ultra), an enzyme extracted that supports the digestive system as a whole, from Primex, an Icelandic marine biotechnology company located in the northern part of Iceland.6 Finally, Eylíf uses Collagen, which is highly bioavailable and comes from fish skin. Icelandic Collagen from Grindavík, in the Reykjanes Peninsula south of Iceland, contains peptides and amino acids that the body uses as building blocks to maintain healthy, smooth, and hydrated skin. Eylíf’s product’s Collagen comes from the processing of wild-caught, sustainably harvested cod living in the North Atlantic Ocean around Iceland.7  The company also uses wild hand-picked Icelandic organic herbs.

Ms. Ólöf Rún Tryggvadóttir developed Eylíf’s high-quality food supplement range using sustainably and locally produced ingredients. Their product portfolio includes Active JOINTS, Stronger BONES, Smoother SKIN&HAIR, Happier GUTS, and Stronger LIVER. All these products are manufactured in Grenivík by Pharmarctica, located in the north of Iceland, a contract manufacturer specialising in producing cosmetics, dietary supplements, liquid soaps, and others.