Skin Actives is not the trendiest skincare company, and that doesn’t bother us one bit. We know what we are doing, and, in many cases, we are way ahead of the trends. Take the skin biome or microbiome trend that we started noticing the past year or so. Our products have been taking care of the skin biome since 2005, before it was “cool” to do it.

What is the Skin Biome?

In the not-so-distant past, humans were only aware of one bacterial species in our skin, the bacteria that caused acne. So much so that most acne treatments were intent on killing anything and everything! Which is overkill, as they say. What happens when we kill the good and bad bacteria, the result was a lot of people with “sensitive skin”. People are still causing their own skin to become sensitive today. In fact, it is all too common.

Once probiotics became popular in society for gut health, the skin care industry jumped on the bandwagon. The big obstacle was that the skin care industry could not sell products containing bacteria, so they went into “prebiotics“.

Dr. Hannah Sivak writes in her book,

“Like our intestine, our skin includes an ecosystem, the skin microbiome—that includes trillions of microbes. Most of these microbes are not dangerous; they’re more like an outer layer of skin we are not aware we carry, but they influence everything from acne, eczema, and dry skin to how we smell.

The aim of skincare should be to keep a healthy microbiome, not “overcleaning” to kill every single bacterium. A widespread modern affliction, sensitive skin, is usually caused by overcleaning, which removes the epidermis’ external layers that make up the skin barrier, plus the bacteria living in it.”

Myths and facts about the skin biome

Fact: Yes, the skin microbiome exists. And yes, we should take care of it.

Myth: The skin biome needs products or actives to help it stay in balance. On the contrary, the skin biome can take good care of itself, with some exceptions.

Fact: People can damage their skin barrier and their biome. Which will show up as skin sensitivity, red, dry, flaky, or itchy skin.

Fact: Acne is a problem with skin’s biome. Our formulators at Skin Actives, including Dr. Hannah Sivak have searched the scientific literature to find the best ingredients that will keep the acne bacteria in check and promote healthy recovery and healing.

Myth: Oily skin or excess sebum production, just contributes to acne. This is not true, excess sebum secretion will promote bacterial growth which could result in acne or seborrheic dermatitis. It’s best to control sebum secretion to prevent the problem before it starts, with a quality oil control product like our T-Zone Serum.

How can Skin Actives help your skin biome?

• We don’t use ingredients that “kill everything” like benzoyl peroxide and we never have.
• We make cleansers that respect your skin and don’t push the skin’s pH up like “natural deodorants” can. Look for a post on this topic later.
• We stay up to date with the science of skin physiology. We prefer to “push out” bad bacteria with the right chemicals, just like other bacteria do, rather than oxidizing the microbiome and the skin, which causes the skin to age.
• Skin care companies are not allowed by law to sell products containing live bacteria. We use prebiotics, i.e., products containing chemicals that will discourage the growth of “bad bacteria” and fungus.
• We produce bioferments and plant extracts and add some pure chemicals known to discourage the growth of acne bacteria and other bad actives. In fact, you will find our sea kelp and kefir bioferments in the majority of products we sell on our website.

Here are just a few of the products we make that contain one of our bioferments that contribute to healthy and happy skin.

Revitalizing Nutrient Cream – promotes overall skin health because it provides a complete array of nutrients, antioxidants and mitochondrial components. Don’t underestimate this product. It’s an all-time favorite of our diehard fans because it makes your skin glow. Just apply once a day, preferably at night.

Redness Reduction Serum – for those who have already experienced sensitive skin from damaging your skin barrier, Redness Reduction Serum is a perfect first step for you. With a high amount of sea kelp bioferment, aloe and other soothing ingredients, your skin with thank you.

Barrier Repair Cream – follow up your Redness Reduction Serum with our rich, creamy Barrier Repair Cream. It soothes, nourishes, moisturizes and renews your skin barrier. Best of all, there are no fragrance or other irritants that will cause problems.

UV Repair Cream – For anyone who wants to prevent or reverse damage from UV rays, there is no better product than our UV Repair Cream, except the UV Repair Cream with the UV booster added in. I dare you to look up the ingredient list on this product and find something bad in it. Don’t stop at your face, make sure you use UV Repair Cream on your decolletage, hands, forearms, legs or anywhere you notice dark spots and damage from years in the sun.

Lip Collagen Serum – Your lips need some TLC too, and our sea kelp bioferment is a top ingredient in our Lip Collagen Serum for a reason. It helps improve lip texture, reduces fine lines and wrinkles and nourishes your lips with continued use. 

Regenerating Defensin Serum – We happen to think that our newest product, Regenerating Defensin Serum, is amazing. Using our newly developed ingredients, Kefir Bioferment, and Honey Bee Defensin-1, you can’t beat the protective and restorative properties of this one-of-a-kind serum. If you haven’t tried it yet, you are missing out!

If you are still curious about the skin biome, check out our other blogs on skin biome here. 

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