The year 2021 is ushering in a return to basics even in the world of cosmetics. It is no longer just a question of giving up makeup under the pretext of it interfering with mask-wearing, but of allowing the skin to better defend itself against external aggressions. This is made easier by the arrival of new active ingredients, namely prebiotics and probiotics, which are about to revolutionize your beauty routine. We take a look.
You may not know it, but yoghurt, blue cheese, pickles, and even sauerkraut are full of probiotics—bacteria that, when consumed in sufficient quantities, prove to be beneficial to health. These bacteria are now appearing in certain cosmetics for the benefit of our skin, which will (finally) receive the necessary active ingredients to repair the damage of the past and learn how to defend itself against future aggressions. It could prove to be a major game-changer when it comes to individuals' skincare.
So what is it?
Before jumping into any skincare department and taking the first product you see that mentions them, it is important to know what probiotics are, and what their benefits are for the skin. "Probiotics are what we call good bacteria. They are found 'living' in food, but we can't bring them to cosmetics in this form. So they are fragments of good bacteria, which are sometimes also called postbiotics," explains Sophie Strobel, a biologist who specializes in cosmetics.
However, be careful not to confuse prebiotics (sugars, fibres, amino acids) and probiotics (yeasts, moulds), which have key distinctions that will guide you in the choice of these new allies. "Prebiotics are the specific 'foods' that good bacteria feed on. If you give prebiotics to the bacteria that are on your skin, the good ones, the latter will develop to the detriment of the bad bacteria," continues the specialist. It's all about balance and respect for the microbiota; once the balance between good and bad bacteria is restored, the skin is soothed and can once again defend itself properly.
Soon to be a must-have
Pollution, stress, sun, smoking, food, and even some irritating cosmetics are all factors that can impact the balance of the microbiota, and promote skin dryness, excess sebum, and other forms of inflammation. "This will affect the skin barrier in the broadest sense. Good bacteria will be affected, and the weaker they are, the more bad bacteria will develop. That's when the balance is upset. This will aggravate skin problems and ultimately accelerate skin ageing," says Strobel.
And that's where prebiotics come in. They serve, in their fashion, to reduce inflammation of stressed skin and soothe it over the long term. By "nourishing" the skin with good bacteria, the bad bacteria will disappear. It's a very topical subject and has become even more so since the beginning of the health crisis: going back to basics, giving the skin the opportunity to strengthen itself, without suffocating it with a multitude of products that only have very superficial effects without any in-depth actions.