Fermented Oils in Skincare: What You Need to Know
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- 11 Aug 2022
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We were just getting used to putting probiotics (like kombucha and kimchi) in our bodies when topical probiotic ingredients came along. Using fermented oils and other probiotic ingredients in skincare is a fast-growing trend. As someone who appreciates what fermented foods and drinks do for our digestive systems and immunity, I wanted to know all about the benefits they provide when applied to our skin, so I turned to the experts.
Layers founder Rachel Behm and founder of Humanist Beauty Jennifer Norman both use fermented ingredients in their products. Ahead, they to breakdown the functions of fermented oils in skincare. Read on to learn why your beauty products might be better if they are fermented.
What "Fermented Oil" Means
I was familiar with fermented food items, but the idea of aging oil was new to me. Usually, oil that isn't fresh or has been altered is considered a bad thing. Despite any preconceived notions you might have about intentionally aging oil, it can be a great thing.
"When a product's label says 'fermented oil,' it means the product contains an oil that has undergone the process of having a specialized microorganism introduced in an anaerobic environment (without oxygen,)" Norman explains. This process converts the carbohydrates in the original oil to acid plus energy.
Is Fermented Ingredients In Skincare a New Thing?
Consuming probiotics has been popular in indigenous cultures for ages, but it only reached the cultural mainstream in the West over the past few decades. Is the same true for skincare? Have people been fermenting their oils for ages, and we're just now catching on? Not so much.
Fermenting oil for topical beauty is a newer ideal. "More research has been done to determine the benefits of topically applying fermented ingredients," Norman says. "While the process of fermentation is quite ancient, the discovery of topically-applied skin benefits has only more recently been studied."
Behm believes that the fermented skincare trend is growing due to a desire to boost skin with non-irritating ingredients. "People realize it's better to boost our skin's amazing natural ability to renew rather than overprocess it with irritating chemicals and devices that may cause damage," she says. "Potent supplements and topicals are developed by experts and fuel the gut–skin connection to reveal dramatically renewed skin that glows from the inside out. Lactobacillus ferment plays a critical role in amazing skin results, without irritating."
The Benefits of Fermentation in Skincare
There are numerous benefits to applying fermented ingredients as there is ingesting them. Before delving into those, though, there is one major caveat to acknowledge. "Consumers should be aware that just because a product says it contains fermented oils, it doesn't mean that the product will deliver benefits," Norman notes. "I always recommend that consumers dig deeper to learn about the actual fermented ingredients and if they have clinical tests showing skin benefits."
Norman suggests researching ingredients to see if formulations include clinically-tested safe doses. "The best way to identify and confirm skin benefits is through reliable scientific testing of that specific fermented material in a certain dose on human skin," she adds. Read More...
