Names, explained
The short answer
"Irish moss" traditionally names one North Atlantic red seaweed; "sea moss" is a looser market name that also covers several warm-water red seaweeds, some of them farmed. Both set into a gel. Which one you are buying is a question for the label.
Most pages on this question are written by someone selling one of the two. This one sorts out the names, then applies them to our own jars, one label at a time.
01
An old name for one North Atlantic seaweed.
"Irish moss" is the traditional name for a red seaweed that grows on rock in the cold, moving water of the North Atlantic, along the coasts of Ireland, Britain, France and northeastern North America. In botany the name usually refers to one species, Chondrus crispus. In Irish kitchens it has long been simmered into set puddings, and there it is also called carrageen. More on the plant itself is on the ingredient page.
02
A wider name, and a looser one.
"Sea moss" is a trade name more than a botanical one. Sellers use it for Irish moss and also for several warm-water red seaweeds from the Caribbean and elsewhere, some gathered wild and some farmed. All of them set into a gel when soaked and blended, which is why they are sold side by side, but they are not the same plant and they do not look the same dried.
There is a lookalike problem too: other red seaweeds that grow alongside Irish moss can be gathered and sold under its name. One more reason to read the label rather than the photo.
Side by side
Observable differences only.
Cold water
The North Atlantic seaweed the name belongs to.
Warm water
Several different seaweeds sold under the same name.
Neither column is a measure of strength or nutrition.
03
The label, then the moss.
Read the label. It should name the seaweed and where it came from; if it does not, ask. The Department of Defense's supplement safety program, Operation Supplement Safety, gives the same advice: make sure the label specifies the type of seaweed. There is more in how to choose a sea moss gel, and if you are buying it dried, in real vs fake sea moss.
04
Straight from each label.
Labeled wildcrafted Irish sea moss: Gold Pure, Gold Raspberry, Mango, and the starter kit, which is filled with Gold Pure. See Irish sea moss gel.
Labeled wildcrafted purple sea moss, no country stated: Purple Purple and Purple Hibiscus. See our purple jars, and gold vs purple sea moss for how they differ.
Labeled wildcrafted sea moss: Chocolate Pudding and our herbal blend.
We print what the label says and nothing more. If a label changes, this list changes with it.
Questions
Sometimes. Irish moss is one North Atlantic seaweed; sea moss is a wider trade name that also covers warm-water seaweeds. Both set into a gel.
Because it grows along the Irish coast and has been eaten in Ireland for generations. It is not a moss at all: it is a red seaweed.
Where they grow and, usually, which seaweed they are. Irish moss grows on cold North Atlantic rock; Caribbean sea moss comes from warm water and is often a different species. Neither is a measure of strength.
Not on any basis we can document. Choose on the label, on how you will use it, and on taste.
Read the label for the seaweed and its origin. If you are buying it dried, look at the moss itself: real vs fake sea moss.
Gold jars labeled Irish. Purple jars labeled purple. The label decides.
