The Best Skin-Care Products Infused With Probiotics
Bugs and skin — the association alone makes us itch. Yet, over the last few years, there’s been an explosion of these buzzy, probiotic-infused skin-care products, along with a surge in studies investigating their powers to improve every kind of complexion concern, and even, fascinatingly enough, to slow the normal signs of aging.
As a result, bugs have become standard shoptalk for beauty editors — with Lactobacillus plantarum and Bifidobacterium longum now as fundamental to our skin-care vernacular as alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs) and beta hydroxy acids (BHAs). But with research on the skin's microbiome — its own indigenous collection of bugs — in its very earliest stages, probiotic beauty is still a murky category.
You read that right: There are more than one trillion bacteria living, crawling, snacking, metabolizing, in and on our skin, representing roughly one thousand distinct species. These essential bugs exist to fight infections, thwart environmental damage, boost immunity, regulate pH levels, and keep our skin plump and dewy. We've learned that bacterial diversity is key, too. "The greater the variety of bacterial species on the skin, the healthier its barrier will be, and the less dryness, inflammation, itching, and stinging you'll experience," says Whitney Bowe, clinical assistant professor of dermatology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City, and the author of The Beauty of Dirty Skin, tells Allure.
These internal bugs also share a complex connection with the vast colonies of microbes inhabiting our intestines — so much so that exemplary gut health has become a sort of beauty goal of late. It's currently the insider's secret to clear, luminous skin and the driving force behind our kombucha obsession. The fermented tea is, of course, teeming with probiotics: the live bacteria and yeast that support and replenish our natural gut bacteria.
How do these belly bugs affect our skin? When we ingest probiotics from kombucha and other fermented foods (kimchi, miso, and kefir), or in the form of supplements, they join the endogenous bugs of our gut, adding to the eclectic mix of microflora that's required for a healthy intestinal barrier.
See, when something threatens our harmonious balance of bacteria, like a routine course of Cipro or junky eating habits, nasty germs can multiply and crowd out the good guys, which inevitably damages the lining of the intestines, causing toxins once destined for excretion to leach into the bloodstream. This ignites a firestorm of inflammation that impinges on every organ, but most visibly, our skin: We're talking breakouts, rashes, rosacea, and eczema flares galore.
Aiming to help foster this rich and disparate microbial community are the latest probiotic skin-care formulas. While some contain live cultures (aka probiotics) to buoy skin's innate supply of bacteria, others include prebiotics — compounds that feed existing skin bugs, helping them thrive. Loads more products rely on postbiotics, the beneficial extracts that living bacteria give off when put through a fermentation process that revs up their metabolism. (Some of these byproducts are natural antibiotics, capable of killing germs that contribute to acne and infections; others can spark healing without the usual need for an instigating injury, which is what microneedling does.) Non-living pieces of bacteria, called lysates, and all the useful stuff they secrete, fall under the postbiotic umbrella, too.
Just as important as the type of biotic in the bottle — be it a whole living organism, broken-up bacteria, bug food, or a by-product — is the specific strain, as each species has its own unique properties and purpose. And there are a lot of them, all with utterly tongue-twisting names. Then, of course, there's the question of evidence, with some brands being better than others at conducting clinical trials to back up their benefits.
The 15 products below, all hand-picked by board-certified dermatologists, represent the best of probiotic skin care paired with vetted studies and information to back them up. Prepare to nurture your microbiome.
All products featured on Allure are independently selected by our editors. However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission.
Courtesy of brand1/15Biossance Squalane + Probiotic Gel Moisturizer
Best for: Dry and sensitive skin (but works for all types)
Bugs on board: Lactococcus ferment lysate
Claire Chang's (a board-certified cosmetic dermatologist at Union Square Laser Dermatology) take: "Biossance Squalane + Probiotic Gel Moisturizer is a gentle, lightweight moisturizer that calms and soothes the skin. It is infused with the probiotic ingredient Lactococcus ferment lysate, which may help restore the skin’s balance and renew the skin barrier."
What else you need to know: Besides the brand's hero ingredient, squalane — which seals in moisture and prevents water loss — this moisturizer is also formulated with redness-reducing ginger extract and skin-calming red seaweed extract. Layer with an oil during the colder months for maximum hydration and soothing.
$52 (Shop Now)
Courtesy of brand2/15Neogen Dermalogy Probiotics Double Action Serum
Best for: Dry, dull skin
Bugs on board: Bifida ferment lysate, Lactobacillus, and Streptococcus thermophilus ferment
What you should know: The Neogen Dermalogy Probiotics Double Action Serum consists of two chambers that contain two types of serum: a Probiotic Serum and Pro Barrier Action Serum. They can be dispensed and mixed together according to your needs — a little more of this, a little less of that.
Chang says the Probiotic Serum contains "a patented complex of probiotics with three kinds of probiotics (Bifida ferment lysate, Lactobacillus, and Streptococcus thermophilus ferment), along with hydrating hyaluronic acid and ceramides to protect the skin barrier." It's also made with lactic acid for a dose of exfoliation and brightening. Both serums have a gentle pH of 5.5 to 6.5, which is close to skin's natural pH.
$42 (Shop Now)
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Courtesy of brand3/15Elemis Dynamic Resurfacing Facial Pads
Best for: Dull, congested skin
Bugs on board: Lactococcus ferment lysate
Chang's take: "Elemis Dynamic Resurfacing Facial Pads are exfoliating pads that contain lactic acid to brighten the skin, as well as Lactococcus ferment lysate — a probiotic ingredient obtained by fermentation of Lactococcus lactis bacteria — which has been suggested to stimulate skin-cell renewal and reinforce the skin barrier. The manufacturer has performed in vitro studies showing that this probiotic can improve epidermal growth and increase the thickness of the stratum corneum (the outermost layer of the skin), as well as stimulate the production of antimicrobial peptides. Other data shows Lactobacillus benefits in lab studies, including its wound healing and anti-inflammatory properties. These studies suggest positive benefits in the skin, though more clinical studies are needed to confirm them."
$59 (Shop Now)
Courtesy of brand4/15Tom's of Maine Prebiotic Bar Soap
Best for: Sensitive skin
Prebiotics on board: Inulin (a type of fiber)
What you should know: Prebiotics, like the inulin in Tom's of Maine Prebiotic Bar Soap, promote the growth of healthy strains of bacteria. "I actually think the strongest skin-care products emerging on the market will be the ones with prebiotics," Bowe previously told Allure, noting that they increase the bacteria diversity on your skin. "When you remove that diversity, that's when you see problems like rosacea, acne, fine lines, and discoloration."
The rest of the ingredient list is short and simple and includes mild cleansing agents and moisturizing glycerin to leave skin feeling extra soft and soothed. It's available in Fresh Apple and Soft Rose scents for a subtle pick-me-up. Plus, it won a 2020 Allure Best of Beauty Award.
$6 (Shop Now)
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Courtesy of brand5/15Missha Time Revolution The First Treatment Essence Rx
Best for: Sensitive skin
Bugs on board: Bifida ferment lysate
Chang's take: "Missha Time Revolution The First Treatment Essence RX contains fermented ingredients including a probiotic lysate called Bifida ferment lysate, which has been shown in a clinical study to help decrease skin sensitivity and increase resistance to external stressors. The study also showed an improved skin barrier function and decrease in skin dryness. This essence also contains ceramides to hydrate the skin and niacinamide to soothe and brighten the skin."
What else you need to know: This is an updated version of the original and beloved Missha Time Revolution The First Treatment Essence. The "RX" refers to the double-fermentation process that the 90 percent yeast extract goes through in both warm and cool temperatures. This intense process (which results in Bifida ferment lysate) promotes better product absorption, as well as moisture retention and elasticity of the skin.
$52 (Shop Now)
Courtesy of brand6/15Éminence Organic Skin Care Clear Skin Probiotic Masque
Best for: Oily, acne-prone skin
Bugs on board: Lactic acid bacteria derived from yogurt
Stacy Chimento's (a board-certified dermatologist at Riverchase Dermatology in Miami, Florida) take: "This mask provides a deep treatment for the skin. Its aim is to treat blemishes, redness, and uneven texture. The formula is infused with tea tree oil and clay, which is good for acne-prone skin as it helps to fight oily skin and clogged pores. Other key ingredients include shea butter, cucumber, and marigold, which moisturize and nourish the skin.
This formula also boasts lactic acid derived from yogurt, which works exfoliates and moisturizes the skin. Topical probiotics improve the skin's moisture absorption and ward off the signs of aging. Lactic acid helps reduce the intensity of wrinkles, as well as tightens pores and improves dry and dull skin with its exfoliating capabilities. Finally, it also helps improve sun damage to the skin."
$56 (Shop Now)
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Courtesy of brand7/15Manyo Factory Bifida Complex Ampoule
Best for: Dry, dull skin
Bugs on board: Bifida ferment lysate, Bifida ferment filtrate, Lactobacillus ferment lysate, and Lactococcus ferment lysate
Chang's take: Manyo Factory Bifida Complex Ampoule contains "a combination of probiotic lysates" to strengthen your skin barrier and decrease skin sensitivity, as well as antioxidants like ginseng, to guard skin against environmental aggressors.
What else you need to know: This quick-absorbing serum also has hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and niacinamide to hydrate and restore balance to the skin. It's been compared to Estee Lauder's Advanced Night Repair since they both contain Bifida ferment lysate, but at a much more accessible price point.
$24 (Shop Now)
Courtesy of brand8/15La Roche-Posay Lipikar Balm AP+ Intense Repair Moisturizing Cream
Best for: Dry, itchy, and eczema-prone skin
Bugs on board: Prebiotic thermal spring water and Aqua posae filiformis (APF)
Bowe's take: "Eczema sufferers have imbalanced skin microbiomes, marked by an overgrowth of itch-inducing Staphylococcus aureus bacteria. When staph proliferates, it kills off friendly bacteria, setting the stage for eczema flares. But this cream can help keep staph in check. It contains thermal spring water, which functions as a prebiotic, or a fertilizer-type ingredient for bugs. The water's unique characteristics, including its pH and selenium content, have been shown in clinical studies to cultivate the growth of healthy strains of bacteria while keeping bad bugs, like staph, at bay.
Supercharging the formula is APF, a patented version of the waterborne bacteria Vitreoscilla filiformis, known for improving severely dry skin. The brand took this rare bacteria and strengthened its properties by growing it in their thermal spring water. The APF is a heat-killed strain, which makes it a postbiotic. It provides long-lasting hydration and reduces the occurrence of flare-ups in dry skin."
$20 (Shop Now)
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Courtesy of brand9/15Aveeno Eczema Therapy Moisturizing Cream
Best for: Best for dry, itchy, and eczema-prone skin
Bugs on board: Prebiotic oat extract
Bowe's take: "This cream contains oats, which act as a powerful prebiotic, feeding the skin’s bacteria, and encouraging a robust microbiome. The new scientific studies supporting this product are incredibly convincing. (Most companies make probiotic claims based on individual ingredients tested in a lab — they're not actually testing final formulations on human skin as Aveeno did.) In a multicenter, randomized clinical study involving men and women with mild to moderate eczema, subjects using this Aveeno cream (versus an un-fragranced placebo lotion that did not contain oats) experienced improvements in skin pH and barrier function (that is, the skin’s ability to hold water and block irritants).
They also experienced a dramatic hike in hydration (266 percent!), all of which translated to fewer eczema patches and less itching. The cream took just 24 hours to restore a healthy skin microbiome — and that newfound equilibrium sustained even after the cream was discontinued for a full week. If it worked this well for people with eczema, it should save anyone from dry, itchy, inflamed skin."
$11 (Shop Now)
Courtesy of brand10/15Mother Dirt AO+ Mist
Best for: Oily, acne-prone skin
Bugs on board: The soil-derived Nitrosomonas eutropha bacteria
Bowe's take: "This is one of the few examples of a true probiotic skin-care product on the market today — meaning the bacteria in the mist are living microorganisms with active metabolisms. Probiotics can originate from one of four places: human skin, the human gut, soil, or water. In this case, the probiotic comes from soil, but it appears to have been an integral part of the human microbiome years and years ago. Over time, as we've adopted more rigorous hygiene habits, we’ve lost some of our microbial diversity. Mother Dirt aims to reintroduce our skin to the Nitrosomonas eutropha strain and bring back its unique benefits.
These bacteria use our own sweat — more specifically, the ammonia therein — as a prebiotic, converting it into molecules that have antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties for fewer breakouts and less irritation. In company studies, subjects who used the mist (along with the brand’s cleanser) for four weeks saw a 35 percent improvement in skin clarity and blotchiness, and a 22 percent reduction in oil. This, to me, is one of the most promising aspects of probiotic therapy: supporting the skin’s natural defense mechanisms to stave off invaders, like zit-forming P. acnes bacteria — something we once had to rely on antibiotic drugs and antibacterial cleansers to do."
$50 (Shop Now)
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Courtesy of brand11/15LaFlore Probiotic Serum Concentrate
Best for: Sensitive, irritated, and rosacea-prone skin
Bugs on board: Lactococcus ferment lysate and live kefir probiotics (a mix of seven different yeast and bacterial strains)
Bowe's Take: "This serum contains sources of pre-, pro-, and postbiotics. Natural oils in the formula serve as the prebiotics, feeding the skin's fat-loving bacteria, which rely on lipids to survive. Nourishing those species prevents their extinction, thereby preserving diversity. As for probiotics, they include a number of different strains, and again, that heterogeneity is key to a robust biome and barrier. (And when the barrier is strong, skin is hydrated and resilient, and less likely to redden, sting, burn, and flake.) Because these are live strains of bacteria, shelf stability is a factor, but the company found a way to encapsulate the bugs, maintaining their viability — I'm impressed!
The lactococcus ferment lysate — bits of bacteria shown to further reinforce the skin barrier — is among the top five ingredients on the label, which tells us there's a generous and efficacious concentration in the bottle, and they're not just tacking on a lysate to make a probiotic claim. Also worth noting: This lysate is a popular fixture in probiotic skin care, but there are multiple strains, and each can behave a little differently. The way it's prepared in the lab — with various extraction methods yielding different metabolites — can also influence its final characteristics, so not every product starring lactococcus ferment lysate will deliver the exact same perks."
$140 (Shop Now)
Courtesy of brand12/15Marie Veronique Pre+Probiotic Daily Mist
Best for: Combination skin
Bugs on board: Microbiotic complex (a proprietary mix of 34 live probiotics, plus prebiotics and postbiotics)
Bowe's take: "The fusion of pre and probiotics is called a synbiotic. While big in the nutrition world, it's still a new concept in skin care — but combining the two absolutely creates a higher-quality product. The prebiotics, in this case, are natural sugars, like beta glucan, which keep all the probiotics potent and working their magic. I love the mix of live bacterial strains in this mist: Streptococcus thermophilus has been found to increase the skin's own output of ceramides to counter moisture loss. This is really next-level skin care: Instead of applying ceramide-based creams to dry, raw skin, we can use probiotics to tell the skin to make more of its own ceramides.
Also in the mix is Lactobacillus plantarum, which produces antibiotic-like molecules that can help with occasional breakouts. The complex has high levels of Bifidobacterium, too, shown to aid sensitive skin by increasing its resistance to physical and chemical aggressors. So, if your face burns or stings in the cold weather, or from using certain products, like retinoids, this strain can calm those symptoms."
$40 (Shop Now)
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Courtesy of brand13/15Columbia Skincare Probiotic Concentrate
Best for: Sensitive, irritated, and rosacea-prone skin
Bugs on board: Lactococcus ferment lysate
Bowe's take: "This particular lysate contains a mix of molecules released by the bacteria, plus fragments of cytoplasm and cell wells to enhance skin’s immune function. The company combines it with polyphenol-rich plant stem cells, as the two have a proven synergy, and can intensify each other’s powers. Their probiotic complex has been tested both in laboratory studies looking at gene expression and in small human clinical trials using special scanning technology that measures the speed of cell turnover. It was found to hasten skin renewal, improve the cohesiveness of skin cells to beef up the barrier, and amplify skin’s own production of antibiotic-like chemicals.
I recommend using this concentrate after chemical peels, laser treatments, and microneedling, or to offset the sometimes irksome effects of retinoids and exfoliants, as it restores the barrier quickly and helps promote healing."
$190 (Shop Now)
Courtesy of brand14/15Elizabeth Arden Superstart Probiotic Boost Skin Renewal Biocellulose Mask
Best for: Dull, damaged skin
Bugs on board: Lactococcus ferment lysate; inactivated strains of Lactobacillus casei and Lactobacillus acidophilus
Bowe's take: "Elizabeth Arden uses a sophisticated process called tyndallization to develop its postbiotic. During tyndallization, bacterial cells are heated to a very high temperature under high pressure — killing the live cells and any potential contaminants — and then the delicate cell fragments are freeze-dried to prolong their shelf life. Strains of Lactobacillus casei can do everything from dial down inflammation to fend off infections. And studies have shown that tyndallized Lactobacillus acidophilus, when ingested, can prevent sun-induced wrinkles from forming by turning off the enzymes that chew up collagen. It may have similar benefits when placed directly on the skin’s surface. At the very least, this Superstart Probiotic Boost Skin Renewal Biocellulose Mask will shore up the moisture barrier to keep skin hydrated and glowy while contributing to that all-important microbial diversity."
$67 (Shop Now)
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Courtesy of brand15/15Glowbiotics HydraGlow Cream Oil
Best for: Dull, sun-damaged skin
Bugs on board: Lactococcus ferment lysate
Bowe's take: "Here, again, in this light-reflective oil, we see derivatives of bacterial cells, not live cultures. The company did a type of test called DNA microarray analysis, which is a high-tech way of determining which genes are turned on and off by the lysate. Interestingly, their probiotic technology turned off MMP enzymes, which break down skin-plumping collagen, as well as chemical messengers that increase inflammation in the skin, which means it has real wrinkle-fighting prowess. It also accelerated the skin’s renewal process, coaxing fresh cells to the surface, and building a thicker epidermis. As a nice bonus, their lysate spurred the release of a molecule called beta-defensin, which boosts the skin’s immunity, protecting it from harmful bugs."
