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Ingredients

Postbiotics in Skincare: How They Benefit the Skin and How They’re Different

Ingredients

Postbiotics in Skincare: How They Benefit the Skin and How They’re Different

Skincare centered on the skin’s microbiome isn’t just a passing trend—it’s a fundamental shift toward nurturing the diverse community of organisms that live on the skin, imperceptibly working to maintain balance. The most effective products to enable skin health, and slow the aging process, are postbiotics: potent compounds produced by probiotic activity. While prebiotics and probiotics have already secured some attention, postbiotics are now rightfully in the spotlight for their ability to strengthen the skin’s microbiome and enhance its natural defenses in a much more stable and efficacious manner. In this blog, we’ll explore what postbiotics are, how they benefit the skin, and what truly distinguishes them from other skincare ingredients.

What is a Postbiotic in Skincare?

A postbiotic is a non-living, beneficial metabolic by-product produced by probiotic bacteria during fermentation. And unlike probiotics, which are live microorganisms, postbiotics are the metabolites, the enzymes, the fatty acids, and antioxidants that bypass your skin microbiome to communicate with the skin directly. These bioactive molecules are easily absorbed, quickly nurturing, supporting and restoring the health of our skin. Our research and the research of our peers suggests that postbiotics act as signaling molecules, helping to modulate skin's immune response, reduce inflammation, and support healthy regeneration. As the skin is constantly exposed to environmental aggressors, postbiotics serve as a protective shield, optimizing the skin's natural ability to repair and maintain balance.

How Do Postbiotics Benefit the Skin?

Soothes Skin Inflammation

One of the standout benefits of postbiotics is their ability to calm irritated skin. By influencing the skin’s immune response, they can effectively reduce redness, itching, and other signs of inflammation. Postbiotics help curb pro-inflammatory cytokines, making them a recommended ingredient for those with historical sensitivities.

Protects from Various Pollutants

Postbiotics enhance the skin's resilience against environmental stressors. As the skin's natural barrier is constantly under assault from free radicals and harmful pollutants, postbiotics seamlessly work to neutralize these external aggressors, reducing oxidative stress and limiting damage. This protection helps preserve skin integrity and reduces premature aging.

Smooths Skin Texture

Postbiotics promote healthier cell turnover, which can improve overall complexion and reduce the appearance of fine lines. By supporting skin renewal and healthy collagen production, maintaining a radiant complexion is easier than ever.

Helps Control Oily Skin

For individuals with oily or acne-prone skin, postbiotics can play a crucial role in down-regulating sebum production. Especially when using Postbiomic™️ oils, you can trick skin into thinking it has enough moisturization, ultimately reducing the likelihood of clogged pores and breakouts.

Strengthens Skin Barrier

Perhaps one of the most vital roles of postbiotics is their ability to reinforce the skin barrier. A healthy skin barrier is essential for locking in moisture and keeping irritants out. Postbiotics help fortify this barrier by supporting the skin’s microbiome, ensuring that the skin remains hydrated and protected from external threats.

How Long Does It Take for Postbiotics to Work?

Postbiotics have immediate benefits, such as reduced redness and improved hydration, which can often be seen within a day or two of use. As the skin becomes more resilient and fortified, the visible results multiply. A significant change in skin texture and smoothness, controlled skin shine, and a deep, healthy radiance can be expected after just a number of days or weeks.

What’s the Difference Between Postbiotics, Prebiotics, and Probiotics?

Postbiotics

Postbiotics are the beneficial byproducts of probiotics. They don’t contain live bacteria but are the optimized and potent bioactive compounds that result from fermentation. Importantly, they do not require refrigeration or other shelf-life maintenance that pre- and pro- biotics do in cosmetic formulations, meaning they are the most consistently beneficial option.

Prebiotics

Prebiotics are the nutrients that selectively feed beneficial microorganisms. In skincare, prebiotics serve to nourish and sustain the healthy community of bacteria on the skin, fostering a balanced microbiome. Prebiotics simply ensure that the skin’s environment remains conducive and well fed.

Probiotics

Probiotics are live microbes that integrate with the bacterial community already residing on your skin. They aid skin with “housekeeping” tasks, such as maintenance of barrier function, acidification of skin, and keeping pathogens at bay. However, probiotic products are highly sensitive to environmental conditions (heat, light, and oxygen), dying if not properly refrigerated, freeze dried or microencapsulated.

How Are Postbiotics Different from Other Skincare Ingredients?

Postbiotics stand apart from other skincare ingredients because of their multifunctional nature. While many ingredients are designed to target a single concern—such as Vitamin A for cell turnover—postbiotics offer a synergistic approach by simultaneously strengthening the moisture barrier, regulating inflammation, delivering essential nutrients, and replenishing skin’s microbiome. Additionally, their bioactive nature means they are more readily absorbed and fast-acting.Moreover, Postbiomic™️ oils are less likely to cause irritation compared to other actives, making them suitable for sensitive skin. This stability and broad efficacy make them a highly valuable addition to any skincare routine, especially in comparison to more single-function ingredients.

What Postbiotic Ingredients are in Symbiome's Collection?

Lactobacillus Ferment – A potent and multifunctional postbiotic, derived from a blend of Lactobacilli (lactic acid-producing bacteria). Contains lactic acid, phospholipids, cofactors, bacteriocins and polysaccharides to help moisturize the skin, support barrier function and stabilize the product. You can find it in The Answer Serum, The One Cream, The Luminary Eye Cream, and The Reset Cleanser.Croton Cajucara (Sanoma) Leaf Oil – A nurturing fermented oil derived from the leaves of an Amazonian shrub. Nourishing lipids, phytosterols, vitamin E and thymol help to balance, replenish, and soothe the skin. You can find it in The Renewal Cleanser, Rewind003 Oil, Respond004 Oil, and The Premise Body Oil. Mauritia Flexuosa (Buriti) Fruit Oil – A powerhouse fermented oil derived from a South American palm tree. Rich in powerful antioxidants, tocopherols and essential fatty acids, this oil helps nurture and brighten all skin types. You can find it in all of our Postbiomic™️ Oil Blends.

Conclusion

Postbiotics are redefining the skincare landscape by offering a unique blend of benefits that support the skin’s natural defenses and enhance its resilience. As a newer, scientifically backed ingredient, postbiotics are paving the way for the next generation of skincare, offering a multi-dimensional approach to skin health that goes beyond surface-level solutions. By understanding how postbiotics work and what sets them apart, you can make informed choices for your skincare regimen that are in line with cutting-edge science.
Skincare centered on the skin’s microbiome isn’t just a passing trend—it’s a fundamental shift toward nurturing the diverse community of organisms that live on the skin, imperceptibly working to maintain balance. The most effective products to enable skin health, and slow the aging process, are postbiotics: potent compounds produced by probiotic activity. While prebiotics and probiotics have already secured some attention, postbiotics are now rightfully in the spotlight for their ability to strengthen the skin’s microbiome and enhance its natural defenses in a much more stable and efficacious manner. In this blog, we’ll explore what postbiotics are, how they benefit the skin, and what truly distinguishes them from other skincare ingredients.

What is a Postbiotic in Skincare?

A postbiotic is a non-living, beneficial metabolic by-product produced by probiotic bacteria during fermentation. And unlike probiotics, which are live microorganisms, postbiotics are the metabolites, the enzymes, the fatty acids, and antioxidants that bypass your skin microbiome to communicate with the skin directly. These bioactive molecules are easily absorbed, quickly nurturing, supporting and restoring the health of our skin. Our research and the research of our peers suggests that postbiotics act as signaling molecules, helping to modulate skin's immune response, reduce inflammation, and support healthy regeneration. As the skin is constantly exposed to environmental aggressors, postbiotics serve as a protective shield, optimizing the skin's natural ability to repair and maintain balance.

How Do Postbiotics Benefit the Skin?

Soothes Skin Inflammation

One of the standout benefits of postbiotics is their ability to calm irritated skin. By influencing the skin’s immune response, they can effectively reduce redness, itching, and other signs of inflammation. Postbiotics help curb pro-inflammatory cytokines, making them a recommended ingredient for those with historical sensitivities.

Protects from Various Pollutants

Postbiotics enhance the skin's resilience against environmental stressors. As the skin's natural barrier is constantly under assault from free radicals and harmful pollutants, postbiotics seamlessly work to neutralize these external aggressors, reducing oxidative stress and limiting damage. This protection helps preserve skin integrity and reduces premature aging.

Smooths Skin Texture

Postbiotics promote healthier cell turnover, which can improve overall complexion and reduce the appearance of fine lines. By supporting skin renewal and healthy collagen production, maintaining a radiant complexion is easier than ever.

Helps Control Oily Skin

For individuals with oily or acne-prone skin, postbiotics can play a crucial role in down-regulating sebum production. Especially when using Postbiomic™️ oils, you can trick skin into thinking it has enough moisturization, ultimately reducing the likelihood of clogged pores and breakouts.

Strengthens Skin Barrier

Perhaps one of the most vital roles of postbiotics is their ability to reinforce the skin barrier. A healthy skin barrier is essential for locking in moisture and keeping irritants out. Postbiotics help fortify this barrier by supporting the skin’s microbiome, ensuring that the skin remains hydrated and protected from external threats.

How Long Does It Take for Postbiotics to Work?

Postbiotics have immediate benefits, such as reduced redness and improved hydration, which can often be seen within a day or two of use. As the skin becomes more resilient and fortified, the visible results multiply. A significant change in skin texture and smoothness, controlled skin shine, and a deep, healthy radiance can be expected after just a number of days or weeks.

What’s the Difference Between Postbiotics, Prebiotics, and Probiotics?

Postbiotics

Postbiotics are the beneficial byproducts of probiotics. They don’t contain live bacteria but are the optimized and potent bioactive compounds that result from fermentation. Importantly, they do not require refrigeration or other shelf-life maintenance that pre- and pro- biotics do in cosmetic formulations, meaning they are the most consistently beneficial option.

Prebiotics

Prebiotics are the nutrients that selectively feed beneficial microorganisms. In skincare, prebiotics serve to nourish and sustain the healthy community of bacteria on the skin, fostering a balanced microbiome. Prebiotics simply ensure that the skin’s environment remains conducive and well fed.

Probiotics

Probiotics are live microbes that integrate with the bacterial community already residing on your skin. They aid skin with “housekeeping” tasks, such as maintenance of barrier function, acidification of skin, and keeping pathogens at bay. However, probiotic products are highly sensitive to environmental conditions (heat, light, and oxygen), dying if not properly refrigerated, freeze dried or microencapsulated.

How Are Postbiotics Different from Other Skincare Ingredients?

Postbiotics stand apart from other skincare ingredients because of their multifunctional nature. While many ingredients are designed to target a single concern—such as Vitamin A for cell turnover—postbiotics offer a synergistic approach by simultaneously strengthening the moisture barrier, regulating inflammation, delivering essential nutrients, and replenishing skin’s microbiome. Additionally, their bioactive nature means they are more readily absorbed and fast-acting.Moreover, Postbiomic™️ oils are less likely to cause irritation compared to other actives, making them suitable for sensitive skin. This stability and broad efficacy make them a highly valuable addition to any skincare routine, especially in comparison to more single-function ingredients.

What Postbiotic Ingredients are in Symbiome's Collection?

Lactobacillus Ferment – A potent and multifunctional postbiotic, derived from a blend of Lactobacilli (lactic acid-producing bacteria). Contains lactic acid, phospholipids, cofactors, bacteriocins and polysaccharides to help moisturize the skin, support barrier function and stabilize the product. You can find it in The Answer Serum, The One Cream, The Luminary Eye Cream, and The Reset Cleanser.Croton Cajucara (Sanoma) Leaf Oil – A nurturing fermented oil derived from the leaves of an Amazonian shrub. Nourishing lipids, phytosterols, vitamin E and thymol help to balance, replenish, and soothe the skin. You can find it in The Renewal Cleanser, Rewind003 Oil, Respond004 Oil, and The Premise Body Oil. Mauritia Flexuosa (Buriti) Fruit Oil – A powerhouse fermented oil derived from a South American palm tree. Rich in powerful antioxidants, tocopherols and essential fatty acids, this oil helps nurture and brighten all skin types. You can find it in all of our Postbiomic™️ Oil Blends.

Conclusion

Postbiotics are redefining the skincare landscape by offering a unique blend of benefits that support the skin’s natural defenses and enhance its resilience. As a newer, scientifically backed ingredient, postbiotics are paving the way for the next generation of skincare, offering a multi-dimensional approach to skin health that goes beyond surface-level solutions. By understanding how postbiotics work and what sets them apart, you can make informed choices for your skincare regimen that are in line with cutting-edge science.