Postbiotics are non-living substances, released by, or produced through the metabolic activity of a microorganism, that exerts a beneficial effect on the host. Postbiotics fall into two categories:
Inactivated, or nonliving probiotics. Live, beneficial bacteria can be inactivated (for example, using heat or ultrasound waves), so that the cellular structures are still present. The bacterial cell wall, or pieces of the wall, can then interact with skin cells, and have very similar effects on the skin as the living strains of bacteria. The advantage in this case is that the non-living cells are much more stable in skincare formulations as compared to living cells, which often don’t survive in the presence of other ingredients in that formulation.
The compounds that microorganisms produce when they consume prebiotics. In other words, the living microbes on your skin “digest” or metabolize prebiotics and turn them into postbiotics.
You will see the main postbiotics in Bowe Glowe™ listed on our ingredient list as “lactobacillus ferment.”
“Postbiotics are a very exciting area of study, and newer research is suggesting they can have very powerful effects on both the skin and the gut. Unlike living bacteria, they offer stability advantages as well, being useful in a variety of formulations that would prohibit the use of live probiotics.”
- Dr. Whitney Bowe Beauty, Board-Certified Dermatologist, Scientist, Founder
