[ Probiotics ]

What are probiotics?

Probiotics are living bacteria that provide a health benefit.

The official definition of ’Probiotic’ was published in 2001 by a UN/WHU expert panel, defining it as “live microorganisms which when administered in adequate amounts confer a health benefit on the host”

So what does that mean?

Live microorganism

This refers to the bacteria which is a microorganism. The bacteria being alive is essential here as some of the advantages of probiotic products comes from the bacteria being alive when you apply it as a consumer – not just when the product is produced since they may die before you get them. Keeping them alive is a tough challenge through production, storage, delivery and long enough for you who use the product.

Adequate amounts

It’s important that there is enough bacteria to make a difference. Our products contain 10^8 CFU (colony forming units) per milliliter. This means that each milliliter of the products contain 100.000.000 bacteria (100 million), which, through clinical trials, we know is enough to make a difference.

Health benefit

You can easily smear bacteria on your skin by going outside and rolling in the grass. There’s plenty of bacteria here. But will it do anything positive for your skin? To fulfill the definition of ‘probiotic’, the living microorganisms must have demonstrated a positive health benefit. This means that the specific bacteria added to the product must have clinically shown a difference.

The host

This is you – or any other person or animal using the probiotic 😊

Can’t I just use yoghurt or kefir then?

This will not guarantee any effect.

Technically, neither of those are probiotic. They both contain living microorganisms, but it is unclear which specific bacterial strains are in them, how many there are and whether these exact strains are clinically proven to have any effect in those quantities to confer any health benefit.

This does not mean that the old trick of smearing yoghurt in the face cannot have a cooling or soothing effect, or that eating yoghurt and drinking kombucha cannot have holistic health benefits. The difference is that we in our products have spent years of research finding the exact strains that work best against the specific purposes we seek to solve. We also make sure the bacteria are alive and in adequate amounts when you apply them.

I don’t have any specific problems – should I still use probiotics?

Yes.

Your body and skin is a complex system. Even though people with specific problems will often experience results quicker, the bacteria will impact you in other ways. As an example, by strengthening the skin’s barrier function helping the skin retain moisture which i.e. makes the skin appear alive and healthy. The bacteria also stimulates the skin’s tight junctions (see dictionary for explanation), reducing wrinkles and fine lines.

Are more probiotics always better?

Not necessarily. The effect varies between the specific bacterial strains.

Maybe you've read about CFU (colony forming units), which is an indicator of how many live and active bacteria the product contains. The best dosage is the one that is tested and proven to confer health benefits.

Why are so many people talking about probiotics?

That’s a great question and especially the skincare industry is misusing the term

The term ’probiotic’ is often misinterpreted or misused in products that doesn’t live up to the definition. Probiotics is still a new area in which regulation is still being established which is why it sometimes becomes a marketing-gimmick. Unfortunately, this dilutes the actual science behind real probiotics. There is however new regulation coming which will make it much easier for you as a consumer to separate probiotics from marketing.

If you’re in doubt, it’s always a good idea to ask a brand whether there are live bacteria in the product when they reach your front door.