As a blogger, I am practically on first name terms with the post people at AusPost in Surry Hills. You'll often find me chasing the postman (or lady) down the street in search of my latest parcel. I get to try a large range of beauty products and my face is often hit with a variety of active ingredients. But not probiotics. This was a first.
While I love to eat my probiotics- the health benefits are enormous and they really do help increase immunity- I'd never thought to put them on my skin. That was until Esse sent me a batch of their products to try and I was sold. Why? Because our skin is covered in bacteria and we need healthy microbiome levels to have optimal skin health. Without good probiotic health, our skin is prone to ageing prematurely.
With Esse's skincare range, you're essentially increasing the amount of healthy bacteria (through its use of probiotics) on the skin surface. Two of the serums actually contain live bacteria, meaning that you're actively changing the skin's microbiome when using it. This, in essence, promotes skin health that slows the ageing process down.
What impressed me about this organisation beyond its global presence, is that it was founded by a chemist, Trevor Steyn, and their products are vegan, organic, cruelty-free and are all fair trade. Those facts are important to me because the founder, being a chemist, offers additional credibility to the brand.
So what are probiotics and why are they so important to skin health?
Probiotics are the good bacteria. They support the functioning and growth of healthy bacteria. We need them both. We can eat them, or we can use them, as I have since found out, in our skincare products.
The probiotics and prebiotics found in the Esse range came about as a result of the Human Microbiome Project and support skin health to slow the ageing process. They do this by supporting the growth of good bacteria that out competes the growth of pro-ageing "bad" bacteria. Bad bacteria are what make us sick.
Watch their video here:
The Esse range have overcome some of the pitfalls that other probiotic brands have fallen foul to, by ensuring that the live probiotics are not killed or damaged during the manufacturing process. That's important because if you're looking to invest in a probiotic skincare range, you need to ensure the probiotics are actually alive to do their job.
What are the benefits of probiotics in skincare?
First and foremost, for me, a good probiotic range slows skin ageing down. When talking about collaborating with a brand, my focus is always on anti-ageing. I rarely, if ever, get spots, so my focus is on protecting my skin from ageing, and to ensure that it's healthy, bright and glowing.
I tend to favour natural brands and those with active ingredients. I also prefer oils as they can be used with many ingredients and are safe to use when opting for a more aggressive skincare method such as a peel or a microdermabrasian session. So the fact that probiotics protect against premature skin ageing is important. They support healthy cell functioning because cells need good microbiome to function optimally.
While anti-ageing is just one of the benefits, probiotics also strengthen the skin's barriers against environmental stressors, keep the skin hydrated, and help restore and maintain a good skin pH level.
I am also a fan of the fact that probiotic skincare helps prevent inflammation, calms the skin and reduces redness. So, while I was a bit delayed in getting on the Kombucha bandwagon, I won't be delayed here. I'll be jumping firmly on the probiotic skincare bandwagon now.
To check out Esse's Skincare range, go to https://www.esseskincare.com.au and use Sarah20 for 20% off.