Benefits of Lactobacillus in Skin Care
Probiotic skin care has the potential to change the entire skincare game. Although still in its infancy, there is a growing body of research linking imbalances in our skin to inflammatory skin conditions like acne and rosacea.
Let's take a look at the research and what this means for your skin.
WHAT IS OUR SKIN'S MICROBIOME?
It might surprise you to learn that there are microbial species that live on nearly everybody's skin. In fact, one of our skin's primary functions is to act as a barrier to harmful substances and disease-causing microorganisms.
Increasingly, research is proving that there is a link between microbiome imbalances in our skin and gut and inflammatory skin conditions like rosacea, acne and eczema. This has led to a profileration of skin care products claiming to be beneficial to our skin's microbiome.
WHAT IS MICROBIOME SKINCARE?
In order to understand your skin's microbiome properly you need to first understand the three "biotics", namely pre, pro and post-biotics.
- Prebiotics are foods that the natural flora on our skin consumes;
- Probiotics are the optimal strains of living bacteria that balance out our natural flora;
- Finally, postbiotics are the outputs or leftovers from probiotics.
If you're interested to learn more, visit our previous blog post on microbiome skincare.
Keen to learn even more? Tune into this episode of the Korean Beauty Show podcast:
THE ROLE OF LACTOBACILLUS IN SKIN CARE
One popular so-called "probiotic" ingredient is Lactobacillus. This has a long history of topical application on the skin, dating back to 1912, when Lactobacillus bulgaricus was first documented as successfully getting rid of skin problems, including acne and seborrhea.*
These days, another popular skincare ingredient is Lactobacillus ferment. This is a non-living probiotic ingredient made from the fermentation of Lactobacillus.
Research has shown that this ingredient may play a role in helping skin’s microbiome to maintain a healthy mix of flora.
Once applied to skin, it works to visibly calm and comfort your skin, supporting the skin's barrier and helping it defend against environmental stressors.
It can assist with multiple skin concerns, including redness and irritation.
TRY LACTOBACILLUS FERMENT IN YOUR SKINCARE
If you're keen to try Lactobacillus ferment for yourself, you'll find it in Overnight Dream Serum. This is a skin-refining, retexturizing serum featuring a buffet of skin-loving ingredients like Retinol, Collagen and 4 types of hyaluronic acid, in addition to Lactoabacillus ferment.
It is safe for skin, containing no essential oils, artificial dyes, sulfates, mineral oil, parabens, fragrances or colours.
*Source: Puebla-Barragan S., Reid G. Probiotics in cosmetic and personal care products: Trends and challenges. Molecules. 2021;26:1249