What are probiotics in skincare?

Probiotics are popping up everywhere. The benefits of consuming probiotics are well known but lately there’s more and more noise about probiotics and their impact on skin health.

Why are probiotics in skincare becoming so popular?

Skincare brands around the world are launching probiotic products and (sk)influencers are starting to see the trend. Why are probiotics in skincare becoming so popular? What are the benefits for your skin and how should you implement them in your skincare routine?

Our skin is home to trillions good and bad bacteria. They are like a first defence line against infection and environmental damage. These bacteria are also really good at regulating your skin’s pH levels and helping your skin look plump and healthy.

The skin’s microbiome can be thrown out of balance by bad guys such as sun damage, irritating skincare products, diet, or airborne pollutants. This can lead to lingering skin issues like dryness, acne, sensitive and/or sensitive skin. Sounds familiar? Probiotic skincare is worth the try, it can help restore the balance in which good bacteria flourish. And good bacteria flourishing means a healthy-looking skin!

So, probiotics help stabilizing the skin’s microbiome. When you’re stabilizing your skin’s microbiome you:

• strengthen the skin’s surface against environmental invaders
• diminish factors that trigger sensitized, red skin
• help your skin restoring here pH balance
• enhance your skin’s ability to hydrate itself
• improve signs of dryness and that uncomfortable tight feeling that comes with it.

Sounds great right? Before you start running to the probiotic skincare department: here’s a sidenote. Probiotics show the best results when it comes to skincare if you combine them with prebiotics. 

Prebiotics in skincare

Prebiotics help probiotics thrive, they help them grow and flourish so they can do their job stabilizing your skin’s microbiome. When probiotics break down on your skin, they also create beneficial substances for your skin such as hyaluronic acid, vitamins and peptides. We call them postbiotics.

It’s all these ‘biotics’ working together that create the popular skin benefits all probiotic skincare brands are advertising. 
The most common strains in probiotic skincare are Lactobacillus, Bifidabacterium and Vitreoscilla. When it comes to prebiotic fibers we will see xylitol, glucomannan and oligosaccharides.

How should I implement probiotic skincare in my routine?

There are lots of skincare products with probiotics in them from cleansers to moisturizers. Some might be more effective than other, but you’ll have to try what works for you and your skin. We recommend to start with implementing one probiotic product in to your skincare routine, just to see how your skin reacts to it. Give it a few weeks before you add or try another product.

So, when it comes to probiotics in skincare, we think it’s worth the try. Pay attention to the brands you buy them from and try to find the best combination for your skin. Remember that everybody’s skin is different so what works for your mom, sister or best friend might not work for you.