From gut health, good bacteria now also used for skincare 

MANILA, Philippines — Due to the coronavirus pandemic, people, now more than ever, live in an era of wellness. 

As such, people have been on-guard not only with what they eat, but also with what they put into their skin, the body’s largest organ.

From a type of dietary fiber valued for keeping the colon and the digestive system healthy by feeding friendly bacteria into the gut, prebiotics are now also prized as a skincare ingredient.

Garlic, onions, leeks, asparagus, bananas, barley and oats are some of the richest sources of prebiotics.

Among those that harness prebiotics’ power in solving skin problems like acne is European skin care brand Bioten, distributed in the Philippines by IFace Inc. and available in Watsons, The SM Store and online on Amorfia and Lazada. The brand boasts of dermatologically-tested skincare products with 100% natural key ingredients derived from eco-friendly and gentle extraction methods to preserve their active ingredients such as prebiotics.

“Bioten is one of the very few (globally) mass market brands that has incorporated Prebiotics technology in their face creams and cleansers. Our Skin Moisture line containing Prebiotics has won an award from one of the most prestigious International Cosmetics fair, COSMOPROF 2020, for brands that commit to keep the skin’s microbiome strong and healthy,” Kelly Erippi, the brand’s Skincare head, told Philstar.com.

How do prebiotics make the skin beautiful?

According to Erippi, prebiotics help skin’s microbiome retain a healthy balance.

“Our goal is to help skin’s own mechanisms keep its healthy balance. Our skin has its own bacteria flora, its microbiome which contains good and bad bacteria. When skin is healthy these bacteria populations are in a balance. When you see skin problems (such as breakouts, excessive sebum/greasiness, or tightness and flaking) this means that bad bacteria increase their numbers,” she explained.

The brand’s skin moisture line, she said, has prebiotics in the formula that feeds the skin’s natural good bacteria. 

“They are oligosaccharides (which highly simplified could be interpreted as ‘sugars’) that are tested to increase the good bacteria populations. Think of the sugar we feed the yeast to make our bread dough grow! Simple but really effective, right? The prebiotics we use are biotechnological compounds which we source from international certified actives suppliers.”

Apart from prebiotics, the brand also has a Skin Moisture Dry/Sensitive Skin line that contains one of the most complex and expensive spices, saffron, which is rich in antioxidants and with skin healing properties that help increase the skin’s elasticity. The Skin Moisture Normal/Combination Skin line, meanwhile has Quince extract that contains a high percentage of polysaccharides, which are good film formers and therefore excellent moisturizers. The range includes a face cream, cleansing gel and Micellar water.

True to its brand philosophy, “Caring for Nature, Caring for You,” the brand commits to leaving a sustainable footprint by being honest about its natural ingredients and adhering to full transparency by including information on the percentage of ingredients of natural origin in its formula, for every single product in the range. Its packaging is made of fully recyclable materials and applies an energy management system in its factory. — Deni Rose M. Afinidad-Bernardo