In The Skincare Guide That Will Save Your Life, dermatologist Dr Deepali Bhardwaj explores the fascinating science of probiotic skincare and explains how nurturing your skin’s microbiome could be the key to a stronger, calmer and more resilient complexion.
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(Some) Bacteria Are Our Friends
How probiotic beauty products are the way forward
‘I started taking the probiotic Dr Deepali suggested, and within three weeks my skin allergies reduced drastically. The irritation on my skin subsided too. My gut feels lighter and my skin looks calmer than it has in years. No other doctor had suggested this to me. Thank you so much!’ —N.P.
‘You want me to put kimchi on my face? Like a beauty mask?!’
If my reaction to this statement had been recorded, it would have become a viral meme by now.
I was talking to Neeta, a patient, about changing her skincare routine and introducing some probiotic products to it, and this is what she asked incredulously. After I got a hold on myself, I realized she wasn’t wrong in asking that question. We all associate the word ‘probiotic’ with the foods we need to eat to ensure we always have a healthy gut. But probiotic products are not just limited to foods. There is now a whole range of beauty products that contain probiotic ingredients, which are great for your skin.
But what exactly do we mean by ‘probiotic’?
The Good Bacteria
Our skin is home to millions of bacteria, fungi and viruses. Altogether they are called the skin flora or skin microbiota. One type of skin microbiota are probiotics. Human bodies are home to millions of microorganisms. Not all microorganisms are helpful to us; some types like germs are, in fact, harmful. But probiotics—live microorganisms—are beneficial to us.
Probiotics are found naturally within and on the body, and they greatly impact our skin’s health and overall appearance.
The concept of probiotics dates back to 1900, when French chemist and pharmacist Louis Pasteur studied fermentation microbes in the 1800s. However, the first probiotic product was introduced to the world in 1907–08 when scientist Élie Metchnikoff created ‘Lactobacilline’ consisting of Lactobacillus bulgaricus bacteria, a true forerunner of modern probiotics. The term ‘probiotic’ was first used in 1965 by Daniel Lilly and Rosalie Stillwell. In the human body, probiotics make up part of the microbiome, which is a collection of microorganisms that are naturally found in the digestive tract, skin and other parts of the body.
Like the gastrointestinal tract, the skin’s microbiome helps keep the skin barrier healthy and strong. It is estimated that around 1 million bacteria are present per square centimetre of the skin. Probiotics are part of this microflora. Their main job is to help the skin’s microbiome stay in balance. They do so by keeping harmful bacteria in check and preventing them from over-proliferating. This, in turn, helps to boost skin barrier health, control inflammation and prevent water loss in your skin.
Inversely, a dysfunctional microbiome results in inflammatory skin conditions such as acne, eczema and rosacea. Simply put, the good bacteria are constantly putting up a fight against the bad ones—the ones that can cause several skin diseases.
There are three main components in your skin microbiota—probiotics (the good microbes), prebiotics (the food on which the good microbes feed on) and postbiotics (the chemicals released by the microbes). These chemicals, like anti-bacterial peptides, are of immense benefit to us as they eliminate harmful bacteria.
What Is Probiotic Skincare?
Products that promote the skin microbiome are a part of the probiotic skincare routine. Probiotic skincare incorporates ingredients derived from beneficial bacteria or their byproducts. They are designed to nurture your skin’s natural ecosystem. These products work to maintain the microbiome’s balance, promoting a strong, more resilient skin barrier.
Probiotic-based skincare products contain ingredients like inulin, alpha-glucan oligosaccharide and thermal spring water. Sulphate-free cleansers, pH-balanced face washes (around 5–5.5) and barrier-repair moisturizers with ceramides are some of these products. If you’re already using a gentle cleanser, a ceramide-based moisturizer or a serum with fermented extracts, you’re likely supporting your skin microbiome without even realizing it.
A large part of understanding probiotic skincare is learning that bacteria are not always bad. They play a vital role in the human body and that billions of microorganisms work together on the skin’s surface to protect and reinforce its strength.
Probiotic foods contain live bacteria that improve your gut health. But that is not the case in probiotic skincare. Here, the bacteria are stabilized and formulated to allow the product to remain well-preserved.
