More and more cosmetics, from oral care to skin care, are targeting the microbiome and marketed to contain probiotic, prebiotic or postbiotic ingredients. Strictly defined,¹ a probiotic is a viable microorg­anism, live or dormant added to a product to achieve a cosmetic benefit at the application site, either directly or via an effect on existing microbiota. A prebiotic is a non-viable ingredient added to a product as a nutrient. It is intended for use by the microbiota on the application site to achieve a cosmetic benefit.

A postbiotic is a non-viable ingredient composed of inactivated microorg­anisms and/​or soluble factors, e.​g., products or metabolic by-products, released by live or inactivated microorg­anisms. It, too, is added to a cosmetic product to achieve a cosmetic benefit at the application site, either directly or via an effect on the existing microbiota.

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By Olivia Santoni – April 30, 2021