Gut Instincts

A major fad in healthy eating for the past fi ve years, probiotics is now becoming an It ingredient in skincare. Aileen Lalor zooms in on beauty’s growing obsession with good bacteria.

- Aileen Lalor

If you’ve ever slapped a yogurt mask on your face, congratulations: You’ve already discovered probiotic skincare. The tradition of using yogurt to calm and soothe troubled complexions dates back centuries, but in the past decade, cosmetic brands have been taking a more in-depth look at why it works, and how to combine it with other cutting-edge ingredients to make skincare that works for everything from anti-ageing to acne.

Rewind to 2008, when scientists in the US began The Microbiome Project, a massive piece of research into the balance of bacteria in the body. Media coverage of this initiative made everyone gung-ho for probiotic tablets to boost general health. It then emerged that these pills might also help the skin microbiome – the billions of bacteria that live on the epidermis – and in turn one’s complexion.

“There is some evidence that taking gut probiotics actually helps skin conditions such as rosacea, eczema and acne. So the idea is: If the probiotics in our gut work, why not apply them directly to our skin?” explains Dr Ivan Tan, medical director of Nu.Reflections Medical Aesthetics.

While much of the initial research was focused on conditions like acne and eczema, brands now are claiming that probiotic skincare can benefit everyone. How? Besides battling the baddie bugs for space on skin’s surface, they’re said to maintain a healthy pH, and produce molecules like sugars and lipids, which strengthen the skin barrier and reduce sensitivity.