Spa+Clinic Team Esse world first Live Probiotic Serum
Skin is the barrier between you and the rest of the world. It blocks invading pathogens and keeps moisture in. But you know that.
What you mightn’t realise is that skin can’t perform either of these basic functions without microbes; tiny, single-celled organisms including bacteria, viruses and yeasts. The sum of microbes in the body is called the microbiome.
Most of us are aware of the benefits of probiotics, (good) microbes that promote a healthy gut and digestion.
Now probiotics are being harnessed to strengthen the skin and slow the ageing process, with certified organic skincare Esse producing the world’s first Live Probiotic Serum.
“The Human Microbiome Project* discovered that optimal skin health is dependent on the presence of trillions of microbes living on, and in, skin,” says Esse founder, chemist Trevor Steyn.
“This international research project revealed that there are more microbes in the body than human cells – at least 10 times more.
“The intestinal tract and the skin have particularly high microbial diversity but there are microbes in the lungs, mouth and even blood. They perform an intricate part of the chemistry that keeps us alive.
“It is now clear that microbes are integral to maintaining optimum skin pH (thus barrier function). They also modulate the formation of tight junctions (T-junctions) in skin and improve moisture retention.
“If people want to slow the ageing process, they should make an effort to maintain a healthy and diverse ecosystem of microbes in and on their skin. Unhealthy skin ages faster.
“They should use skincare products that don’t pollute the skin’s ecosystem.
“This new information changes almost everything in health and skincare. We have been treating ourselves as a single species, but we’re not.
“The skin’s immune system is in constant contact with microbes. It treats many of them as if they were part of us, the `host’.
“That is, it helps probiotic microbes to form films on the surface of the skin, like natural body armour. Microbes are responsible for the majority of skin detoxification.
“We have invested considerable research to ensure that our products maintain a balance of microbes to slow the ageing process.
“As the Esse Probiotic Serum touches the face, 50 million live probiotics per drop are activated by moisture on the skin.
“This complements its natural microbial diversity and helps to create the ideal microbiome to slow the ageing process.”
* The Human Microbiome Project (HMP) was a US National Institutes of Health five-year initiative launched in 2008 with the goal of identifying and characterising the micro-organisms that are found in association with both healthy and diseased humans (the human microbiome). The ultimate goal was to test how changes in the human microbiome are associated with health or disease.
