Ever heard of coconut postbiotics? Here's why we started using this superfood skin ingredient and so should you.

You’ve heard all the hype about the benefits of eating foods packed with probiotics for good gut health. Hello sauerkraut, kefir and kombucha. But lately, we have seen a rise in the use of topically applying probiotics (in skincare) as a way to enhance skin health. Probiotics are live micro-organisms that promote the growth of ‘good’ bacteria. The more good bacteria we have, the less likely bad bacteria will grow. We know that certain negative skin conditions thrive in the presence of these bad bacteria so the idea behind probiotics applied topically is that they will balance out the good vs bad and promote healthier skin; and science is showing us that they are actually working.  

But now enter Postbiotics...ever heard of them?

We are guessing no, as it’s a relatively new term. To be considered a probiotic you need the presence of a live bacteria. Postbiotics on the other hand, is a name given to the metabolic by products of the probiotic bacteria that cause the actual beneficial effects of the probiotic.  Make sense? I know it gets technical. They basically contain all the benefits of the live bacteria without containing live bacteria.  

There are several different types of probiotics and postbiotics used in skincare and each serves a different purpose. We are going to explore the one that we use in 3 of our products; Lactobacillus Ferment & Lactobacillus & Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Fruit Extract (we call it Coconut Postbiotic for short). You can find Lactobacillus Ferment & Lactobacillus & Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Fruit Extract in our All In One Coconut Cream Foundation, Coconut Corrective Cream Concealer and Vitamin Boost Hydrating Face Mist.  

Lactobacillus Ferment & Lactobacillus & Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Fruit Extract are made just how it sounds...by taking coconut and fermenting it with lactobacillus (non dairy). The results produce a powerful postbiotic ingredient and here are the benfits:

• Helps to balance the skin microbiome: A two week study was conducted to determine the effects of the above postbiotic ingredient applied topically to the skin. The goal was to see how the skin microbiome changed over a 2 week period (if at all). The results were pretty cool. Testing showed that when Lactobacillus Ferment & Lactobacillus & Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Fruit Extract was applied to the skin twice daily beneficial skin bacteria Staphylococcus sp, and Corynebacterium sp increased and like-wise decreased the presence of Propiobacterium sp. A bacteria known to perpetrate acne when over grown. 
• Provides antioxidants: this coconut postbiotic has also shown impressive and surprising beneficial antioxidant capabilities during ORAC testing (the test used to determine antioxidant levels by placing a substance in a test tube with other molecules that generate free radical activity). It actually tested higher in antioxidant activity than a water soluble Vitamin E when included in a solution at 2.5% or higher. 
• Has incredible skin moisturizing benefits: Another study was conducted to see just how moisturizing and conditioning this particular ingredient was to the skin. One control group used an unaltered based lotion (cetaphil) everyday for 4 weeks. The other group added the coconut postbiotic to the base lotion (cetaphil) at 2% and applied it everyday for 4 weeks as well. After 4 weeks the group that had applied the coconut postbiotic to the cetaphil and then applied it, had an increase in 50.70% improved moisture to the skin than the group that simply applied the base cream everyday.  Not only is it warding offer bacteria responsible for acne, but it’s actually moisturizing that acne prone skin as well.  
• Acts as a natural preservative: yup! It also acts as a natural preservative preventing the growth of molds, funguses and bad bacteria. It's why our products are good for atleast 6 months from date of purchase but still contain only clean organic ingredients. 

It's awesome that science is helping to find more natural alternatives to synthetic and/or health harming ingredients. It's the perfect combo when we can find natural superfood ingredients that not only function and perform, but also benefit your skin's health!