The skin's microbiome consists of billions of microorganisms such as bacteria, fungi and viruses. Although most of these microorganisms are harmless, an imbalance in the microbiome can lead to an overgrowth of harmful microorganisms.
A balanced microbiome plays an important role in maintaining a healthy skin barrier, fighting harmful pathogens and maintaining skin homeostasis.
So how can you promote a healthy skin microbiome? Probiotics and prebiotics play a key role in maintaining microbiome balance. Although both are commonly used on skin care product labels, there are important differences between probiotics and prebiotics. Below we explain what the difference is and how to choose the best skin care ingredients to boost your skin's microbiome.
What are probiotics?
Probiotics are live bacteria or yeasts that have a positive effect on the microbiome. Fermented foods such as yogurt, curries, kimchi and miso naturally contain probiotics. Eating these foods can provide great benefits to your gut microbiome.
However, probiotics are generally not effective when used in topical skin care products because the preservatives used in these products kill live probiotics, extending their shelf life.
What are prebiotics?
Think of prebiotics as the food or fertilizer that probiotics need to grow.
Prebiotics are essentially long-chain carbohydrates that feed beneficial bacteria so they can grow and thrive in the microbiome. They can be effectively used in skin care products to increase the amount of probiotics in the skin microbiome. Therefore, pay attention to these ingredients instead of live bacteria.
Some examples of prebiotics found on skin care product labels include fructooligosaccharides, glucooligosaccharides, and alpha-glucanooligosaccharides.
Bonus term: postbiotics
Postbiotics are less discussed than probiotics and prebiotics, but can be just as beneficial to the microbiome.
Postbiotics are byproducts of live bacteria or probiotics. Postbiotics, like prebiotics, can be used in skin care products because no live bacteria are needed. Examples of postbiotics are ferments and lysates.
Last line
The key to a healthy skin microbiome is diversity. This is what it means when you hear or read about a “balanced” microbiome. You want a diverse group of microorganisms that can live in harmony with one another for the benefit of your skin.
If you would like to learn more about the skin microbiome and the effects of probiotics, prebiotics and postbiotics on it, listen to my interview with Dr. Alisa year on.
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