There’s good bacteria and there’s bad bacteria.
When we get an infection, it means bad bacteria has taken over the good ones. For example, in one study by the Genome Research, it was revealed that “people with eczema had a different population of skin bacteria, with an abundance of Staphylococcus aureus, in comparison to those that did not have eczema.”
But did you know that good bacteria lives naturally in our bodies? Billions of bacteria help us stay healthy. Most are found in our intestines. We ingest probiotics—live microorganisms—to help our gut stay healthy.
A probiotic is a product that directly adds beneficial bacteria. This can either be done through oral intake or by directly applying it to the skin. Good bacteria wins.
Then there’s prebiotics, substances that encourage the growth of beneficial bacteria.
At Murad’s Prebiotic 3-in-1 MultiMist and Prebiotic 4-in-1 MultiCleanser launch, guest speaker Dr. Deejay Arcega said: “Everybody knows about probiotics that you take orally for the gut. It promotes good bacteria so there’s a healthy balance. So now, we take it to the next level: prebiotics in skincare.”
Food for probiotics
According to Healthfully.com, “You can think of prebiotics as food for probiotics and the healthy bacteria in your system. Whereas probiotics are living microorganisms, prebiotics are nonliving. Prebiotics can encourage the growth of beneficial bacteria already living in the body, and also aid in the growth and maintenance of probiotics.”
Arcega said, “Prebiotics can be dried-up fruits and vegetables that help in the promotion of the healthy bacteria that is normally residing in your skin.”
Those are part of the magic potion found in Murad’s Prebiotic MultiMist and MultiCleanser. Other ingredients in the MultiCleanser include yeast peptide to lock in the skin’s natural moisture and a biopolymer complex which, according to Murad’s press release, “forms a natural second skin on the skin’s surface.”
The MultiMist includes hemisqualane, a plant-based emollient, hyaluronic acid and prebiotic powder. Both products are formulated without parabens, sulfates, phthalates, gluten and animal-derived ingredients, which means they are completely cruelty-free, preservative-free and vegan.
“Prebiotics balance the skin’s microbiome,” said Arcega. “So if the skin is healthy and intact, prebiotics will prevent dryness, irritation, inflammation and premature aging. They act as sort of a fertilizer for the skin.”
The essence of the prebiotics, she adds, is to promote and hasten the growth of the good bacteria. In doing so, they prevent common dermatitis like acne, skin asthma, atopic dermatitis, seborrheic dermatitis, and so on. —CONTRIBUTED