Hello,

Today I’d like to talk about how we chose which probiotics would go in our Skin & Microbiome supplement. After all there are so many bacteria, so many supplements already existing and not as much scientific research as we’d like. So what probiotics for sensitive skin?

My criteria were: Safety, precision and proof of action. And that’s not an easy thing in the supplement world, it looks a bit like the far-west.

Safety is an easy one, as probiotics are one of the safest ingredient possible. They have been used for a long time of human history, and have an excellent track record.

Precision because we went to strain level, to know exactly what bacteria we were using. You can read more about strains here.

Proof of action is the hardest one, because it’s hard to find good science studies on probiotic supplements. The gold standard is large scale, placebo controlled, double blind studies (and I’m dying to do a blog post on the subject).

And here is the result: 4 strains of probiotic bacteria picked for their efficacy on skin sensitivity in clinical studies. Let me detail a bit more each of them.

Lactobacillus paracasei R0422

  • Why we picked it? For its skin soothing and softening properties
  • What does it do exactly? It shows an action in reducing trans epidermal water loss, it reduces sensitivity of skin and people find their skin softer after 60 days.
  • How do we know? Thanks to this article: Guéniche et al. 2014., Randomised double-blind placebo-controlled study of the effect of Lactobacillus paracasei NCC 2461 on skin reactivity. Published in Beneficial Microbes 5(2): 137-145
  • Bonus benefit: some strains of L. paracasei are used to reduce inflammation in the gut. It’s also used a lot in the dairy and cheese industry

Lactobacillus casei R0215

  • Why we picked it? For its capacity to reduce skin inflammation and stimulate the immune system
  • What does it do exactly? It regulates the inflammation markers and reduces the incidence of illnesses in kids
  • How do we know? Thanks to these articles: Audy J. et al. (2012) Transcriptomic response of immune signaling pathways in intestinal epithelial cells exposed to lipopolysaccharides, Gramnegative bacteria or potentially probiotic microbes. Beneficial Microbes. 3(4):273-286. And Merenstein D. et al. (2010) Use of a fermented dairy probiotic drink containing Lactobacillus casei (DN-114 001) to decrease the rate of illness in kids: the DRINK study A patient-oriented, double-blind, cluster-randomized, placebo-controlled, clinical trial. European journal of clinical nutrition. 64(7):669-677
  • Bonus benefit: Intestinal comfort, and also, it’s the main cheese bacteria! (we like cheese)

Lactobacillus rhamnosus R0011

  • Why we picked it? For its capacity to reduce eczema, simply
  • What does it do exactly? It lowers the risk of developing eczema, reduces the severity of eczema and the inflammatory markers of eczema
  • How do we know? Wickens et al. 2008. A differential effect of 2 probiotics in the prevention of eczema and atopy: a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial. J Allergy Clin Immunol 122(4): 788-794

Lactobacillus helveticus R0052

  • Why we picked it? For the way it helps reducing the signs of eczema
  • What does it do exactly? It lowers the severity and the clinical signs of eczema,
  • How do we know? Chernyshov 2009. Randomized, placebo-controlled trial on clinical and immunologic effects of probiotic containing Lactobacillus rhamnosus R0011 and L. helveticus R0052 in infants with atopic dermatitis. Microbial Ecology in Health and Disease 21: 228-232
  • Bonus benefit: helveticus means “from Switzerland” and is the one that makes swiss cheese. It’s also really good at lowering anxiety

Et voilà! As you see bacteria had to pass a very strict selection process to be allowed to step into our cap. Only the best made it!

Marie

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