What are Probiotics?
Probiotic is a living microbial product that has been proved to have health benefits when properly dosed. Probiotics, such as lactic acid bacteria, have been carefully studied in clinical trials, and they have to achieve a health benefit. Probiotics more often bring to mind stomach and intestinal well-being, but what good can they do in skincare? The use of probiotics in cosmetics is predicted to be the next skin care trend!
Probiotics in Skincare
So, how do probiotics work in skincare? Probiotics nourish and balance the body’s microbes. More than 20% of the body’s microbial species are located on your skin, and 29% in your gut. The well-being of the skin depends on the symbiotic relationships of the microbes on its surface and below the surface. Microbes take up space from bad bacteria and thus protect the skin from pathogens, support metabolism and maintain the right pH balance. Probiotics are used to treat changes caused by aging, stressed skin, skin diseases and the so-called normal skin that is unbalanced. What about probiotics and acne? Probiotics are also used to treat inflamed acne. In other words, the treatment of the skin with probiotics is strengthening of the skin’s own defense mechanisms. Prebiotics, on the other hand, are sugar compounds that create a favorable growth medium for good bacteria and are thus a nutrient for good bacteria.
Skin pH Balance
The most optimal pH for the skin is about 4.5 to 5.5, which means that the pH balance of the skin should be slightly acidic. The acidic surface layer protects the microbiome, as well as neutralizes detergents, for example, which are alkaline and dissolve the natural oil layer of the skin. If the skin is healthy, the pH will return to normal within a few hours after washing with soap. The more acidic or alkaline the product used, the longer it takes for the skin to recover. If the skin is constantly under strain, it may show signs of impurities, dry rash or redness.
Probiotic Products
Starting probiotic skincare does not mean that all products should be changed and routines switched into new ones. You can first try a couple of products, such as a cream or a toner containing probiotics. Cosmetic products that contain probiotics do not need to be absorbed so deep into the skin, but interact with the microbes already on the skin. Prebiotics and products containing probiotics can be used on a daily basis, but are often used as a cure. In general, cosmetics with probiotics can also be in the form of an extract, in which case the microbes are no longer in living form and the products are not as effective. It is difficult to create cosmetics from living microbes, because probiotics are unable to live in water-based products that most cosmetics are. Microbes also do not survive in products containing any preservatives.
