Did you know fermented yeast extract helps boost collagen?

All you need to know about fermented beauty, only one of the biggest beauty trends of 2022

‘Fermented ' usually takes us straight to food— beer, kimchi, kombucha, kanji or even the humble idli-dosa. Pre and probiotic fermentation mean pharma supplements, capsules, or yoghurt. But what about fermentation for your face?

Fermentation in skincare is actually not new—it is rumoured that legendary beauty Cleopatra bathed in fermented donkey’s milk and the ancient Romans regularly soaked in wine baths all those millennia ago. In more recent times, the skin benefits of rice water, apple-cider vinegar etc. are known, but fermented beauty has suddenly hit a surge as one of the biggest beauty trends of 2022.

No surprise, its resurgence is being championed by the uber efficacious J-Beauty and K-Beauty bastions, and everyone’s talking about it. So, chances are if you’re a fan of all things K-drama, you’ve definitely heard of it. But should you try it? Is it really all it’s hyped to be? And how will it affect your skin regimen? We get the experts to weigh in.

Fermentation 101

“Fermentation is a technique by which we add certain enzymes, or organisms that produce these enzymes, in a mix of vegetables, extracts or waters,” explains Dr Aneesh Sheth, PhD pharmacist and cosmetic scientist. In beauty products, fermentation occurs when the main ingredient—botanicals, leaves, seeds, grains, fruit sugars, minerals or even metals, interact with a live bacteria or yeast. This is meant to stimulate/enhance the microbiome on human skin for the desired result—anti-ageing, radiance etc.

Bacteria, really?

Yes, really. Bacteria or microbiomes exist on our skin in a happy balance— the beneficial and the harmful. When the pH balance of the skin is disturbed, the bad bacteria can disrupt the skin barrier causing inflammation, redness, or acne flare-ups. Fermented beauty products aim to boost the good bacteria by feeding it prebiotics and supplementing it with probiotics.

Aesthetician and medical head of ISAAC, Dr Geetika Mittal Gupta, draws the parallel between gut health and skin health, “To help with digestive health, experts generally recommend eating prebiotic/probiotic foods like yoghurt. Fermented beauty products are prebiotic/probiotic skin care products with the goal of making skin healthier.”

This works because the combination of prebiotics and probiotics can increase skin's surface protection, to maintain its barrier, countering conditions like redness, dryness, signs of ageing and environmental assault. The microbiome plays a role in skin conditions like acne and psoriasis, prebiotic and probiotic skin care can help treat these conditions.

It also maintains the skin’s pH balance at 5.5 to 5.7. Sheth warns that most fermented products have a pH of 4.6 which works for some skin types but can be too acidic for others. Prasanthy Gurugubelli, founder of clean beauty brand Daughter Earth, states, “Do not underestimate the intelligence of your skin in its ability to balance or heal itself. Any good formulations—fermented or otherwise, are designed to not disrupt the skin’s barrier by being too acidic or too alkaline.”

While all three experts are unanimous that the jury is still out on the long-term potential of fermented beauty products, stating that the science is still in its infancy, they outline the pluses and minuses of the phenomenon. Fermentation increases nutritional density, making the product's natural compounds more effective, in addition to making absorption easier and faster.

For example, wine has a higher total antioxidant capacity than grape juice. “Fermented yeast extract is frequently used in these products because the fermentation process creates amino acids and peptides that aid cellular renewal in the skin. By boosting collagen synthesis, fermented yeast extract may be able to help reduce the indications of ageing on the skin,” clarifies Mittal Gupta.

Fermentation works on the principle of converting complex compounds into simpler ones, like peptides. “Your skin loves them. These also tend to be enzymatically rich. The top layer of the skin is dead cells and is metabolically inactive. But it is enzymatically active. Peptide rich fermented molecules can interact easily with skin,” says Gurugubelli.

It is important to note that depending on the ferment and the concentration used and the formula, fermented products may not be ideal for use with other actives like acids and retinoids, opines Sheth, “Like any set of ingredients or trends, not all fermented products are created equal. We often don’t know how the products are fermented; the concentrations used—how they’re introduced into a formulation etc. Also, the Indian skin barrier is severely compromised and often these fermented ingredients contain a blend of multiple acids which may not suit sensitive skin types."

So, should you try it?

While the skincare industry has grown exponentially and we’re all looking for that magic ingredient to keep us in the best skin we’re in, it’s prudent to support your specific skin type, needs and concerns in mind and thoroughly research any products before trying them. As Sheth sums up, “I think in theory it sounds great, but from a research point of view there’s not much we know about ferments. So, take what you hear with a pinch of salt. The microbiome is a huge area of research and while we would love to believe that fermented beauty products will fuel good bacteria—it may be more complex than that.”

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