What are postbiotic cosmetics?
Postbiotics are substances that derive from probiotics through fermentation processes. They are microbial cells or their cellular components that are deliberately inactivated, with or without metabolites, which confer a health benefit to the skin.
Some of the bacteria that carry out postbiotic activity are some Bifidobacteri, some Lactobacilli, EscherichiaColi Nissle1917, Faecalibacterium Prausnitzii and Bacteroides Fragilis.
The application of postbiotic-based cosmetic products positively modulates the skin microbiota without altering its physiological characteristics, with particular regard to biodiversity, feeding a continuous beneficial effect to the skin.
Skin care with postbiotic cosmetics
Scientific evidence shows how a skin microbiota imbalance would seem to be involved in the onset of disorders or, in some cases, of epithelial diseases: when this balance is compromised, the skin is dry with an imbalance of the sebum, the presence of psoriasis or other inflammatory diseases.
A good postbiotic-based skincare routine allows to maintain a microbiota balanced state by counteracting various skin problems.
On the market there are several cosmetics based on these active ingredients such as serums, creams and eye contours that used consistently can bring benefits to the skin.
Difference between probiotic, prebiotic and postbiotic cosmetics
Probiotic, prebiotic and postbiotic are not synonymous terms and have different meanings:
- PROBIOTICS are live bacteria capable of providing benefits to the body and the skin;
- PREBIOTICS are organic substances that act as nourishment for probiotics;
- POSTBIOTICS are microbial cells or their cellular components deliberately inactivated, with or without metabolites, which allow to maintain a state of skin flora equilibrium.
In cosmetics, prebiotics and postbiotics are mainly used, due to the problematic control of microbial growth in probiotic cosmetics, risking to compromise the safety of the product. From a research and development point of view, in order to obtain a probiotic formulation that achieves the stability and safety criteria required by GMP production standards, it’s necessary to consider adequate development times and costs to achieve a formulation that complies with regulatory provisions.
Prebiotic and postbiotic cosmetics, on the other hand, prove to be stable and safe products, with evident benefits both for the consumer in terms of product efficacy and for the Brands that intend to place these cosmetics on the market in terms of balancing between development costs and achieved results.