Everything You Need To Know About Probiotic Skincare

In case you hadn’t noticed (via a quick scroll through this blog), it’s been a long time since I dedicated a post to a single brand or topic. Blame a hectic schedule and an impending holiday cutting my blogging hours down to the bare (and sometimes non-existent) minimum. But, as you can see, I discovered a brand exciting and innovative enough that I committed myself to making time to write about it. Seriously, these products are legit miracles and there’s some serious science behind them, which means things are about to get geeky.

If you devour beauty literature at the same rate I do, you’ll be well aware that bacteria is the biggest buzzword in wellness and skincare right now, and for good reason…

The science lesson: While the concept of using probiotics to promote good digestion and a healthy gut is nothing new, increasingly probiotics are popping up in skincare ingredients too. Just as probiotic supplements balance your gut, probiotic skincare stabilises your skin’s defence system, making it harder for the likes of pollution, UV exposure, stress, and hormones to knock your skin out of whack. Probiotic ingredients reduce the damage these triggers cause to healthy cells, collagen, and elastin and improve the skin’s ability to repair itself.

I was introduced to probiotic skincare via the way of Gallinée, a new-gen French skincare brand that makes science-smart, affordable products based around a pioneering triple-complex formula that includes probiotics, prebiotics (the carbohydrates that act as food for probiotics), and lactic acid (which preserves bacteria). This holy trinity results in products with the exact same pH balance as skin, which respect skin’s sensitivity, and which reduce inflammation – leading to healthier, softer, stronger skin. And those with conditions caused by bacterial imbalance - acne, eczema, rosacea, or psoriasis - will notice a difference within days. What more could you want?

Hydrating Face Cream

Lightweight and easily absorbed (with no greasy texture), this cuts out the need for separate morning and evening products – it’s moisturising enough to provide intense overnight hydration, but its texture is still perfectly suited to wearing underneath makeup. If you’re sceptical about the ability of a moisturiser to do more than just hydration, use this and be proven wrong. I first used it on a four day trip to Berlin last summer (packing it purely for the fact its size was compatible with my border control liquids allowance) and returned with smoother and brighter skin. Needless to say, I’m on my second tube.

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Foaming Facial Cleanser

Normally the words ‘foaming cleanser’ are enough to make me run a mile, but after falling in love with the above, I was keen to give Gallinée’s face wash a go. I’m glad I did - it’s a gorgeously soft solution that encourages skin to retain moisture, so rather than making skin feeling stripped, it leaves it feeling cleansed but cushiony. What’s more, it’s free from soap and packed with lactic acid – the gentle AHA renowned for its ability to clear acne and prevent wrinkles. Obsessed and confessed.

Face Mask & Scrub

Combining the twin action of exfoliation and detoxification, this multitasker cuts down on treatment time, but not efficacy – it exfoliates skin both physically and chemically (thanks to lactic acid and sea salt), and uses kaolin clay to soak up excess oil and draw out deep-rooted impurities. I indulge in extensive at-home ‘facials’ at the weekends, but during the week I don’t have a lot of time to go above and beyond my normal routine. This is so easy to use – I layer it on before I jump in the shower, then scrub it off before I step out – there’s nothing better than going to bed with a post-facial glow on a weeknight, minimal effort involved.