Probiotics in Skin Care – Four Reasons You Need it Now!
Last Updated on January 3, 2023 by Aysenur Yashar
Probiotics in skin care, in other words, bacteria in our skin care can be useful? Really?
We have all heard about the good bacterias in our gut. If we feed them with nice food they will keep us healthy. But I was very surprised when I first heard that there is actually another bacterial community living on our skin – and majority of them are the good guys!
We can easily buy probiotics for our gut – just grab a kefir or probiotic yoghurt in the supermarket. But apparently you can apply probiotics on your skin as well. Now we have an emerging probiotic ingredients added onto our creams, mists and masks. Applying bacteria onto our skin? Well, I think I am fair by being a little skeptic.
So as it comes naturally from being a medical student, I questioned the science.
In this blog there will be a breakdown of what are the four scientific benefits of these probiotics, which good guys are on board and a product I can recommend!
If you wish to jump to the conclusion for a quick summary just scroll down!
First of all what are probiotics and probiotics in skin care?
Probiotics are defined by the scientific literature as “live microorganisms that, when administered in adequate amounts, confer a health benefit on the host”.
Although this seems reliable, I cannot help but ask the following questions:
So is it safe to use probiotics in skin care?
We said that not all bacterias are bad but even the good ones in excess can be harmful.
Science brings light to this:
“It is not a viable option for them (the creams) to contain live bacteria, meaning that there cannot be a cosmetic that is a true probiotic. However, they can still contain components sourced from probiotic strains that could be beneficial.”
So actually the safest option is to integrate components from these probiotics, not the live bacteria itself.
But what are those components? These are come components from the microorganisms which can be – lysates, ferments and filtrates. These just refer to the method of extracting the good component out of these nice buggies.
What to pay attention to when you have probiotics in skin care?
Before jumping into the juicy benefits of these good bugs it is important to know what your product contains so you can set your expectations clear!
Mainly several strains of bacterial probiotics and components are used in the pharmaceutical and cosmetic products – *Lactobacillus,* Bifidobacterium, Lactococcus
You should look for the name of the strain (Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, Lactococcus) and the following word lysate, ferment, filtrate.
This just means prefered treatment kind to make the bacteria inactive and prevent any possible harm.
Now to the juicy part!!
So here are the four benefits of probiotics in skin care
1. Helps Repair Damage from the UV Irradiation
We all know that exposure to the UV light can really be dangerous to our skin, especially during the summer. They can cause accumulation of reactive oxygen species -ROS and sometimes the damage can be irreversible.
ROS components are very very nasty – they can trigger different gene expressions, damage the structure of the skin and causes blemishes- hello pigments and uneven skin. 🙁
I am not even talking about the cancer risk here.
Probiotics, on the other hand, have a very rich antioxidant activity. This is because they have antioxidant enzymes such as superoxide dismutase.
These enzymes work to trigger a chain of events to neutralise the damage of the UV light. Wow, some pieces of bacteria can do this!
Bugs are useful to have in your product: Lactobacillus Brevis
Lactobacillus Brevis can inhibit the ractive oxygen species and reduce inflammation according to the science.
2. Helps with Sensitive Skin
Do you think you have sensitive skin but you are slightly unsure? There are several sensitive skin types and your might be just be one of them, if you want to learn more, click here and enjoy!
This is especially interesting to me because my skin is as sensitive as it can get!
So it was exciting to learn that probiotics especially Bifidobacterium lysate and Lactobacillus species can limit the skin sensitivity. They do this by stopping the release of some messengers which signal for inflammation, redness and sensitivity.
As a consequence of this complex mechanism they indirectly improve the skin barrier function and protect from outside negative stimuli. So look out for those good guys if you have sensitive skin!
Which bugs are useful to have in your product: Lactobacillus + Bifidobacterium
3. Boosts Skins’ Natural Moisture
We know fermented foods are good for our gut so it shouldn’t be surprising that they can be good for our skin.
In a study done in Japan they looked at the effect of L. helveticus. This probiotic combined with fermented milk increased the production of a protein called profilaggrin.
Profilaggrin plays a vita role in maintaining normal hydration of the epidermis (uppermost layer of your skin). it does this by boosting the production of the natural skin moisturiser.
Dry skin has been shown to have reduced or even absent levels of profilaggrin. So look out for the strain Lactobacillus again to boost some natural moisture into your skin. I definitely will!
Bugs are useful to have in your product: Lactobacillus
4. Makes you Look Younger!
So far every single benefit listed was so surprising to me but this one blew me off! Probiotics in skin care can make you look younger!
What do we mean by younger is a more elastic and even skin, right?
Another study in Japan showed that the strain Bifidobacterium can actually stimualte hyalaurinic acid production and skin elasticity.
Overall Bifidrobacterium caused a great improvement in the appearance of the skin. According to the authors of the article, this probiotic even has the potential to prevent the age-dependant loss of Hyalouronic acid from our skin! Just wow!
Bugs are useful to have in your product: Bifidobacterium
Conclusion & Beautiful Product Recommendation
Just wow right! I did not know that there is so much science behind those good guys. It’s really really exciting to see probiotics in skin care!
Especially if you have sensitive skin, probiotics are really promising into helping you keep your skin happy and balanced! Just check the science behind those benefits!
Here is a quick summary of the 4 ways probiotics can enhance your skin care routine
1. Protects from UV irradiation – because of some healthy enzymes
2. Helps sensitive skin irritation – stops inflammation messengers being send around
3. Boost skin’s natural moisturiser production – makes your skin more plump and juicy
4. Makes you look younger – good probiotics can help the making of hyaluronic acid and increase elasticity
Antipodes Culture Probiotic Night Recovery Water Cream
If you have told me that you will apply a cream to your hyper sensitive and overnight your skin will be glowing, I would think that person is insane. Until I bought the Antipodes probiotic recovery cream!
I cannot possibly recommend this product enough!
Apart from looking very cute (yes it is purple), it smells amazing and feels amazing. The main ingredients of these products are probiotics- Lactobacillus ferment lysate, mamaku black fern, Hyalouronic acid and Manuka Honey.
My experience with this product:
Whenever I apply this product, I wake up with my skin looking visibly more even toned. My skin is literally glowing (I think this is the effect of Manuka Honey). I have less breakouts although my skin is extremely sensitive.
Plus with the extensive use there is a tangible decrease in the breakouts. I think this comes from the probiotics being suitable for sensitive skin.
There are tangible and visible results just after one night of using! It is really like a magic stick!
I have received so many compliments just after one night of using this cream. Truly if there is one mask I can ever recommend it is this one!
So far i have exhausted two pods of this magic product and more is in the cart! Probiotics in skin care do really seem to work!
The only downside is that it is a little expensive, but believe me worth every little penny!
Where to get this good bacteria infused magic cream:
You can either get your cream from Antipodes official site or just head to Content Beauty and Wellbeing’s website! Content is an amazing clean beauty boutique based in the UK. Need I even say that it is Emma Watson’s favourite shop to explore amazing clean skincare and cosmetics!
If you are new here, welcome and enjoy the process of learning about our skin! Wondering what is Academy Skin care about, just read here!
If you are wondering what to add to your skin care routine – check out why face oils can be the next best thing here!
