Microbiome Conscious Skincare

You've likely heard about the gut benefits from consuming prebiotic, probiotic or postbiotic rich foods & supplements. Various studies are now proving the benefits of these ingredients when applied topically to the skin, in alleviating a range of skin concerns. 

Brands including Symbiome, Mother Dirt, Biophile, Osea & Simply Softr, for example, have developed microbiome-based skin care products that contain prebiotics, postbiotics and/or probiotics.

The Skin Ecosystem 
The skin microbiome is made up of many virus, fungi & bacteria, much the same as the gut microbiome. Once you understand this ecosystem, the thought of adding to and supporting the good bacteria on your skin is not merely as overwhelming. For example, it was once thought that removing bacteria altogether such as c.acne (acne causing bacteria) would reduce inflammation and breakouts. In removing this harmful bacteria though, other vital microorganisms were also being removed from the skin barrier. This is why the evolution of microbiome friendly skincare is an exciting approach, as it aims to harness the good bacteria living naturally on the skin's surface, rather than eradicating bacteria from the skin altogether. 

The current microbiome skin care market has four main ways to maintain the skin's microbiome:

• Removing pathogenic bacteria;
• Adding prebiotics that feeds the good bacteria;
• Adding probiotics, which adds good bacteria; and
• Implementing postbiotics, which adds by-products of bacteria to the skin.

The most popular approaches are creating prebiotic and probiotic skin care products, which are the most familiar to consumers thanks to food trends and makes them more easily translatable in skin care. The Simply Softr Balancing Clay Mask is made with an ultra hydrating & restorative prebiotic complex that fuels your good bacteria and starves the harmful bacteria which in turn promotes a stronger skin barrier and reduces skin concerns. 

Ingredients
A few ingredients that have been proven to help maintain the skin's ecosystems include lactobacillus ferment lysate, Bifida ferment filtrate, saccharomyces lysate, bacillus ferment, Inulin & Alpha-Glucan Oligosaccharide. Various prebiotic & probiotic ingredients help target different skin concerns, so it is important to know which formulation is most suited to your specific microbiome. 

Conclusion 
There is no denying that microbiome friendly skin care is not a fad or passing trend, and it is here to stay long term. This market will continue to evolve as new studies come to light around the microbiome, microorganisms that inhabit it, and how to properly care for our skins ecosystems. 

Disclaimer: This blog post is solely for informative purposes. Even though research indicates that prebiotics/probiotics can alleviate certain skin conditions, we do not make any therapeutic or medical claims about our skincare. Our skincare is meant only for cosmetic purposes.