A new cosmetic trend has arrived: biome skin care. It follows up on years of research on how a healthy balance of microorganisms in our body improves skin health. The star ingredients in biome skincare products are prebiotics, probiotics, and postbiotics.
This article explains the role of prebiotics in skin care and recommends the best products to use.
What Is Prebiotic Skin Care?
Prebiotic skin care contains ingredients that feed healthy bacteria (probiotics) on our skin, helping them grow and outnumber harmful microorganisms.
Examples of prebiotics include inulin, glucomannan, beta-glucan, and oligosaccharides. They are mainly fibers that our bodies can’t digest but that feed beneficial bacteria. They naturally exist in foods such as fruits, vegetables, and grains.
Topical products formulated with prebiotics contain higher concentrations of these ingredients and enable their direct application on the skin, helping skin probiotics thrive.
How Does Prebiotic Skin Care Work?
Millions of diverse microorganisms live in the gut and skin, contributing to our overall health. The balance of beneficial and harmful microorganisms is very sensitive and easily disrupted. When the pathogenic cultures multiply, they can cause health problems and skin concerns, such as eczema, acne, and premature aging skin.
The goal of prebiotic skin care is to help probiotics thrive so that they outnumber harmful microorganisms. Topically applied prebiotics directly nourish skin probiotics, allowing for faster and more targeted skin care.
Prebiotic Skin Care Benefits
The benefits of using prebiotic skin care are closely linked to probiotic activity. Prebiotics and probiotics work synergistically to improve the skin in the following ways.
Stronger Skin Barrier
Prebiotics support probiotics, which play an essential role in preserving the skin barrier. A healthy skin microbiome produces antimicrobial peptides that help eliminate pathogens. Additionally, they effectively combat other environmental stressors, including UV damage and pollution.
Enhanced Hydration
By strengthening the skin barrier, prebiotics indirectly help prevent transepidermal water loss and enhance skin hydration. Several prebiotic types, including inulin, xylitol, and fructooligosaccharides, have significant water-binding capacity on their own.
Relieved Eczema Symptoms
Dry skin is the root cause of atopic dermatitis or eczema. The topical application of hydration-boosting prebiotics helps soothe irritated skin, reduce inflammation, and mitigate eczema.
Decreased Acne
Prebiotics support the growth of beneficial probiotics on the skin, helping to control acne-causing bacteria. They decrease inflammatory acne and alleviate redness and swelling after breakouts.
Rejuvenated Skin
Dry skin and UV damage are common causes of premature aging signs. By helping to enhance hydration and protect the skin from UV and environmental damage, prebiotics prevent fine lines, wrinkles, age spots, loss of elasticity, and other signs of aging.
Who Can Benefit from Prebiotic Skin Care?
Prebiotic skin care may be especially useful to acne and eczema patients because it helps normalize sebum production, reduce blemishes, and relieve redness and inflammation. People with sun-damaged and aging skin can also benefit from prebiotics.
The microbiome plays a vital role in maintaining the skin’s appearance and wellbeing, which depend on a balance of beneficial, neutral, and harmful microorganisms. By feeding healthy bacteria, prebiotics contribute to normalizing excessively dry and oily skin and soothe skin sensitivities. In that sense, everyone can benefit from prebiotic skin care.
Best Prebiotic Skincare
The best prebiotic skincare products are formulated with naturally derived ingredients that balance skin microbiota and don’t contain potentially irritating synthetic chemicals and additives.
Vibrant Skin has launched an innovative, natural cosmetics product line featuring biome-friendly ingredients, including prebiotics and probiotics. Our skin professionals recommend the following:
Cleanse – Enzyme Biome Cleanser
Cleanse is a gentle, hydrating cleanser with inulin, a naturally derived prebiotic from chicory root. It feeds probiotics and binds water, increasing hydration. The product contains more skin-enhancing “biotics” and plant extracts, including:
- Probiotic Lactococcus ferment lysate – Improves skin cell turnover and strengthens protective barrier.
- Postbiotic lactic acid – Assists with skin cell renewal, improves hydration, and brightens the skin.
- Sweet orange – Reduces inflammation and fights acne-causing bacteria.
- Bromelain from pineapple – Reduces inflammation, accelerates dead skin cells removal, and decreases spots and blackheads.
- Kumquat – Increases skin elasticity, natural barrier function, and radiance.
- Neem extract – Balances sebum production and stimulates collagen production.
- Moringa seed extract – Provides antioxidant skin care and has anti-aging effects.
Elevate – Cucumber Photodynamic Toner
Toners are an optional step in an everyday skincare routine. Skin experts recommend them to patients with oily, acne-prone, or dehydrated skin to help regulate natural oils and improve skin tone.
Elevate is an advanced biome-friendly formulation with Tonka Bean Prebiotic Infusion complex, combining prebiotics and probiotics. It absorbs harmful UV rays, eliminates the appearance of wrinkles, and provides impressive rejuvenating results. Elevate also contains:
- Cucumber seed oil – Promotes collagen synthesis and blood circulation, increasing skin firmness and elasticity.
- Cucumber fruit extract – Reduces inflammation.
- Chlorophyll – Potent antibacterial, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory properties help delay premature aging signs.
- Matcha green tea – Packed with skin-loving vitamins and antioxidants (vitamins B, C, E, K, potassium, and omega fatty acids), it helps prevent early aging signs.
Desert Vibe Serum – Moisture Boosting Serum
Desert Vibe features prebiotic sorbitol. Its breakdown creates beta-glucan, known for its powerful moisturizing properties. It is 20% more hydrating than hyaluronic acid.
Other beneficial ingredients in Desert Vibe include:
- Centella (Gotu Kola) – Encourages collagen production, helps heal wounds, and boosts hydration.
- Wild indigo – Helps remove toxins, reduces inflammation, and improves skin tone.
- Prickly pear – Stimulates collagen, promotes faster cell turnover, and increases skin elasticity.
- Snow mushroom –Hydrates the skin more effectively than hyaluronic acid, promotes collagen production, and improves discoloration.
Spot On – Blemish Spot Treatment
Vibrant Spot On is a gentle and effective solution for people prone to breakouts. The prebiotic used in the formulation is Black BeeOme derived from a fermentation process involving black bee honey. It helps promote a healthy skin barrier, calms irritated skin, and reduces redness and inflammation associated with acne.
Other blemish-decreasing ingredients include:
- Probiotic Lactobacillus ferment – Helps reduce redness.
- Vanilla fruit extract – Has antibacterial and soothing properties, which help prevent breakouts.
- Niacinamide – Reduces inflammation and regulates sebum production.
- Mandelic acid – Helps regulate sebum production and unclog pores.
- Totarol – A powerful antioxidant that fights acne-causing bacteria, such as Staphylococcus aureus and Cutibacterium acnes.
Mud – Clarifying Clay Mask
Another optional step in the beauty routine, facial masks help treat specific skin concerns. Mud is a clarifying clay mask for irritated, dull, acne-prone, and problematic skin. It contains sorbitol, a prebiotic that helps enhance the penetration of other active ingredients and soothes irritated skin.
Mud also contains:
- Probiotic Lactobacillus ferment
- Chamomile – Alleviates redness and reduces hyperpigmentation.
- Bentonite clay – Contains various minerals that help increase oxygen levels to help heal wounds and clear the skin.
- Activated charcoal – Absorbs toxins and other harmful chemicals from the bloodstream and improves wound healing.
- Kaolin clay – Removes dirt, dead skin cells, and impurities from clogged pores.
Note: Check out Vibrant’s complete offer of biome-friendly skincare products and supplements.
How to Introduce Prebiotics to Your Skincare Routine?
Most of us eat prebiotics daily in foods such as oats, bananas, garlic, onions, apples, flax seeds, legumes, etc. However, prebiotic concentrations are low in food. To feel their beneficial effects on the skin, introduce topical prebiotic products. They are gentle enough for any skin type, so you can use them in the morning and evening as part of your regular skincare routine.
1) Start with a gentle prebiotic cleanser. It efficiently removes impurities, while helping maintain the skin’s optimal PH value and hydration.
2) Apply a prebiotic toner or serum. It enhances the skin’s hydration and helps repair specific concerns like wrinkles and hyperpigmentation.
3) Use a prebiotic moisturizer to maintain moisture throughout the day.
Prebiotic skincare products are usually formulated with probiotics, vitamins, minerals, acids, oils, and other naturally derived ingredients for more profound nourishment and protection.
Are There Any Side Effects of Prebiotic Skin Care?
Prebiotics are gentle and soothing, suitable even for sensitive skin. In rare cases, topical products may cause redness and itching.
Prebiotics in food may cause gas, bloating, and diarrhea.
Can Prebiotic Skincare Cause Breakouts?
Prebiotic skin care is designed to achieve the opposite – prevent and treat breakouts. They are naturally soothing and hydrating, minimizing inflammation and redness associated with acne. Their probiotic-balancing function helps to combat acne-causing bacteria, minimizing the risk of future breakouts.
Should Anyone Avoid Prebiotic Skincare?
Prebiotics in skin care are safe for most people. However, these products contain other ingredients that may cause unwanted reactions. Carefully read the label and ingredients list before buying the product. If unsure about its effects, test the product on a small patch of skin to see how it reacts.
Vibrant microbiome-friendly skincare line includes carefully formulated and clinically proven ingredients that are organic, vegan, cruelty-free, paraben-free, silicone-free, GMO-free, sulfate-free, alcohol-free, phthalate-free, and naturally scented - minimizing the chance of causing an adverse reaction on the skin.
Conclusion
Prebiotic skin care is a new beauty trend that emphasizes the importance of natural, microbiome-friendly products. Prebiotics feed the good bacteria on our skin, helping to strengthen its natural protective barrier, improve hydration, and treat various skin concerns resulting from dry skin.
Head over to Vibrant‘s innovative prebiotic and probiotic skincare line and discover products that will smooth your complexion and make it glow.
