Ingredient Spotlight: Pre, Pro and Postbiotics

The Biology of Pre, Pro and Postbiotics

Prebiotics, Probiotics and Postbiotics are known as Microbes. These microbes are living organisms that are important to our health and are the newest skincare ingredients that work by normalising the microbiome to achieve skin health. Sigi Skin’s products are also not foreign to the use of these biotics and they are formulated in Sigi Skin’s latest anti-ageing night serum, Youth Beam as well as in their sheet masks, Teatox. 

What are Prebiotics?

Prebiotics are nutrients found in food that we cannot digest, such as fibre. Instead, they feed the bacteria in your gut and promote their growth. Probiotics are beneficial microorganisms found in the human body that help us stay healthy by improving metabolism, supporting immune function, and reducing inflammation. In skincare, Prebiotics are substances that promote the growth of beneficial bacterial organisms on the skin's surface while inhibiting the growth of harmful bacteria.

Benefits of Prebiotics

Applying prebiotics to the skin promotes the growth of probiotics, allowing them to:

• Keep the skin's surface, its first line of defence, balanced, youthful, and strong
• Eliminate factors that contribute to redness, dryness, and a weakened surface
• Prevent the appearance of ageing skin
• Restore a balanced microbiome

What are Probiotics?

They are living microbes in food that make their way to your gut and (hopefully) establish themselves, providing some sort of benefit.

In skincare, probiotic skincare products contain living organisms that are applied to the skin in the form of sprays or creams. Yogurt, kefir, kombucha tea, and sauerkraut are examples of bacterial fermentation products. True probiotic skincare products must be refrigerated because preservatives are not permitted. Because the preservatives would kill the beneficial bacteria, probiotic skincare would be bacterially contaminated.

Benefits of Probiotics

It is believed that applying probiotics topically can help you build collagen, resulting in stronger skin structure and smoother skin. Furthermore, a reduced inflammatory response makes your skin more resistant to the negative effects of sun exposure, resulting in fewer wrinkles and fine lines.

What are Postbiotics?

When microbes in your gut consume prebiotics from your food, they produce waste molecules known as metabolites. These waste molecules, as well as dead cells and cell parts produced by your microbiome, are referred to as 'postbiotics.'

In skincare, postbiotic skincare products contain non-viable bacterial products or probiotic bacteria metabolic byproducts. Postbiotics are produced by probiotic bacteria during the fermentation process.

Enzymes, peptides, peptidoglycan-derived muropeptides, polysaccharides, cell surface proteins, and organic acids are examples of postbiotics. Many currently marketed skincare products contain bacterial fermentation products such as lactic acid and glycerol, so postbiotics are nothing new in dermatology.

Benefits of Postbiotics

Because postbiotics are not 'live,' they are much easier to store and deliver to the skin, assisting in the diversification and balancing of the microbe population without having to worry about which microbes are in the mix. Postbiotics have also been shown to have hydrating and anti-inflammatory properties, making them an excellent skincare ingredient to include in your routine whenever your skin has been stressed.

The Benefits of Biotics in Youth Beam & Teatox

Youth Beam

The Youth Beam night serum is the only skincare product formulated with all 3 biotics — prebiotics, probiotics and postbiotics. The unique blend of these biotics helps ensure your skin’s microbiome is self-resilient and less sensitive over the course of some time. Here are some additional details on how these biotics in Youth Beam actually help maintain the well-being of your skin:

Prebiotics (Ectoin)

• Prebiotics in serums when applied on skin helps probiotics thrive so they can work together to restore a healthy microbiome balance on the skin
• Prebiotics and Probiotics helps skin restoration by preventing premature ageing and in addition, protect and repair skin barrier
• The Prebiotic present in Youth Beam is Ectoin and it helps maintain balanced hydration by maintaining the right water balance in skin, giving your skin a smooth and soft surface
• Last but not least, Ectoin helps protect your skin from environmental stressors such as the various types of natural light and pollutants such as blue light rays

Probiotics (Lactobacillus)

• The Probiotic present in Youth Beam is Lactobacillus, an ingredient that is also present in Sigi Skin’s Teatox sheet masks
• The ingredient is immediately activated upon application on skin and it does not have to be stored in fridge
• The intent of the use of Lactobacillus is to keep microbiome in balance while increasing skin tone and elasticity as well as minimise wrinkles but also provide deep hydration and increase cell turnover rate
• Last but not least, the use of probiotics also helps to reduce redness, irritation of skin and in addition, helps to strengthen and protect your skin barrier

Postbiotics (Amino Acids)

• The Postbiotic present in Youth Beam is Amino Acids. This ingredient present in skincare works by replenishing your good bacteria (our skin’s natural defence mechanism)
• Postbiotic also helps ensure your microbiome does not become overrun with pathogens (pollutant) and bad bacteria (sebum)

Teatox

Sigi Skin’s Teatox sheet masks contain 20% Lactobacillus ferment, a probiotics that stimulates collagen production to ensure supple and youthful skin. In addition, the ingredient also helps smooth and rebalance your skin and thus, strengthen the skin’s barrier to defend itself against environmental aggressors and irritants that causes unwanted free radical damage.