There’s a secret language spoken within your body—constant chatter, plotting, planning, deal-making happening below the surface. The conversationalists: bacteria, fungi, viruses, and parasites that make up the microbiome in your gut, among other places. What are they discussing in their microbial language? How your organs and systems should operate. The biomass of these bugs is greater than your actual human cells by orders of magnitude. So they have a lot to say. And as science is discovering, one topic of conversation is your skin.
How the bugs in your gut affect your skin
The communication between the microbiome and the skin is officially called the gut-skin axis. It ensures that when your gut bugs thrive, so thrives your skin—staying soothed and calm, shielded with a robust outer barrier, and stocked with a natural defense against UV rays, according to Kenneth Brown, MD, gastroenterologist and The Gut Check podcast host. “Without a healthy gut microbiome, having healthy skin is very difficult,” he says.
In fact, dreaded issues that plague us, like dryness, acne, eczema, psoriasis, rosacea, and premature aging, are fallout from a microbiome that’s weak and rundown, proves research published in the journals Microorganisms, Gut Microbes, and Clinics in Dermatology. The microbiome regulates the immune system, studies say, and depending on the colonists’ state of health, will dial inflammation up or down, in turn, causing or curbing myriad skin conditions—so many that one report calls the range “exhaustive.”
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Another key factor: postbiotics. Robust intestinal bacteria produce postbiotics, which act as messengers and nutrients, telling other organs how to be healthy. “By taking care of your gut microbiome, and encouraging growth of beneficial bacteria, you’re supporting the production of these beneficial bacterial by-products,” says Suzanne Devkota, PhD, director of the Human Microbiome Research Institute at Cedars-Sinai. You may also have heard of probiotics (live microorganisms) and prebiotics (the foods probiotics need to grow and flourish), but postbiotics are the gold that Devkota is talking about; they’re the drivers behind a healthy skin barrier (courtesy of postbiotics called short-chain fatty acids) and internal UV protection (thanks to a type called indoles), adds Brown.
Your skin has a microbiome, too
This ecosystem sits on the surface of skin and acts like its control center, constantly communicating and negotiating with the outside environment and internal goings-on. According to Jeremy Brauer, MD, a board-certified dermatologist in New York, its list of responsibilities is long: It blocks harmful pathogens from infiltrating the epidermis and disrupting collagen production, regulates skin pH, absorbs nutrients, holds in hydration, quells inflammation, defends against UV damage, and promotes healthy functioning overall. “The skin microbiome acts as the first line of defense against harmful toxins and disease,” he explains. “And it talks to the immune system to help wound healing and keep inflammation in check.”
Like gut bugs, skin bugs produce those precious postbiotics, including nourishing vitamins A, E, D, and K, peptides, and enzymes that enhance your complexion. “Certain strains, like Streptococcus thermophilus, help with ceramide production, which moisturizes and strengthens the skin barrier,” says Marisa Garshick, MD, a board-certified dermatologist in New York.
Bottom line: Evidence shows that a strong microbiome gives you healthy, hydrated, radiant skin. But what’s “strong?” A diverse community of bugs, meaning many strains that coexist like a friendly forest. If those critters get killed off, or one strain takes over, it causes dysbiosis: skin that’s out of whack, prone to both minor issues like dryness, irritation, and sensitivity, and the majors—acne, rosacea, psoriasis.
Many factors can play havoc on your skin microbiome, including pollution, harsh ingredients, and aggressive skincare. According to Garshick, a harsh product like soap, for example, can disrupt your skin’s naturally acidic pH—the climate microbiota flourish in. Likewise, applying formulas heavy in preservatives and antimicrobials kills all bacteria, sacrificing the good along with the bad. And over-stringent cleansers attack the barrier and strip the skin of sebum and lipids that are food for the microbiota. Both Brauer and Garshick say you’ve got to go easy on your microbiome: Use gentle cleaners and don’t pile on active, aggressive treatments that damage your delicate barrier.
How to glow
Both the skin and gut microbiomes are ravenous for nutrients. That’s a good thing. It means you can make a big impact with your habits and routine in a very short time, says Megan Rossi, MD, founder of The Gut Health Doctor and @theguthealthclinic.
To feed it from the inside: “Provide nutrients (prebiotics) that your preexisting, native microbes can utilize to grow better and become stronger,” says Devkota. Ditch ultra-processed and sugary foods—they’re poison to your gut—and stock up on colorful fruits, vegetables, and other plants, says Rossi. These provide fiber, your microbiota’s main meal, plus polyphenols that bugs convert into metabolites that tame inflammation and slow aging. “One study using polyphenols from cocoa showed reduced facial wrinkles and improved elasticity after 24 weeks,” says Rossi. Diversity is also key. The latest research says 30 different plant foods a week is the gut-loving goal.
To feed it from the outside: Skincare brands are formulating products that cultivate beneficial flora, and while this is burgeoning science, experts see value in what these formulas can deliver so far. “Topicals may help with inflammation, acne, free radical damage, and hydration,” says Garshick.
Since we live in a world full of daily assailants, tending to our microbes becomes a daily necessity. Ingredients designed to communicate with our natural ecosystem are now found in skincare and supplements (drinks, powders, pills). Here, some good stuff to try:
What to Feed Your Skin
Llama Mama Organic & Sparkling Tonic
This functional beverage boasts Peruvian plant power to give you a hearty dose of prebiotics to feed your herd of good bacteria. It uses yacon root as a sweetener to supply organic fiber and antioxidants from camu camu (packed with vitamin C) to pump up your immune system.
La Roche-Posay Lipikar AP+M Triple Repair Moisturizing Cream
“This is rich in moisturizing ingredients including glycerin, a known humectant to draw moisture in, as well as shea butter and niacinamide,” says Dr. Garshick. “It also contains a thermal spring water that offers prebiotic and soothing antioxidant benefits, and is safe for use on the face and body.”
Bliss Mighty Biome Pre/Post Biotics + Barrier Aid
“This deep cleansing balm helps to dissolve makeup, sunscreen, and impurities while also hydrating skin,” says Dr. Garshick. It contains prebiotic beta glucan to attract water and postbiotic Lactococcus Ferment Lysate to help stimulate skin cell renewal.
Drunk Elephant Sweet Biome Fermented Sake Spray
“This antioxidant-rich spray combines fermented rice water to hydrate as well as sodium PCA,” explains Dr. Garshick. “Plus, amino acids, fatty acids, electrolytes, and ceramides refresh the skin and support a healthy microbiome. It can be incorporated into a morning or evening routine or used throughout the day to give the skin a boost.”
Timeline Skin Health The Night Cream
This unique formula incorporates the postbiotic Urolithin A to help revitalize your skin cell's mitochondria, re-energizing them and promoting healthy, youthful skin.
KAPOWDER Detoxifier
Add two dropperfuls of this citrus-y tincture to water or a smoothie; its dandelion, milk thistle, globe artichoke, and cilantro blend can help aid digestion.
Halle Berry is a fan and an investor of this probiotic supplement; it's the only formula that contains a novel, patented probiotic strain called akkermansia muciniphila as well as chicory inulin, a prebiotic.
Symbiome The Answer Serum
Much like fermenting food, fermented skincare uses microbes to break down molecules so they’re small enough to penetrate deeply, resulting in highly potent, bioavailable ingredients that are especially friendly to the microbiome. This brand uses postbiomic fermentation to deliver native metabolites from the Amazon rainforest, ancestral bugs the brand says we’ve lost as a result of modern living.
Andalou Naturals 1000 ROSES® Soothing Sleeping Mask
Dr. Garshick loves that this contains alpine rose stem cells, postbiotics, and hyaluronic acid. “The lactobacillus ferment in this product has been shown to have a soothing effect that strengthens the skin’s ability to defend itself from aggressors,” she says.
Isabel Burton is a writer, editor, and all-around content person specializing in lifestyle, beauty, and wellness. Her work has been featured in Oprah Daily and Oprah Quarterly, Blackberry Magazine, Shape, Self, Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire, Martha Stewart Weddings, Phenology, Wholier, and other media brands. She has held leadership positions at Shape, Self, Cosmopolitan, and Marie Claire, and is currently the Editor-in-Chief of InPickleball, a lifestyle-sport print and digital brand.
