Production, Formulation, and Application of Postbiotics in the Treatment of Skin Conditions

• Published in: Fermentation (Basel) Vol. 9; no. 3; p. 264
• Main Authors: da Silva Vale, Alexander, de Melo Pereira, Gilberto Vinícius, de Oliveira, Ana Caroline, de Carvalho Neto, Dão Pedro, Herrmann, Leonardo Wedderhoff, Karp, Susan Grace, Soccol, Vanete Thomaz, Soccol, Carlos Ricardo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel MDPI AG 01.03.2023
• Subjects: Acne; Alopecia; Atopic dermatitis; Bacteria; Bacteriocins; Bioactive compounds; Care and treatment; Fatty acids; Fungi; Genes; Genetic engineering; Genomes; Gram-positive bacteria; Immunomodulation; Inflammation; Lactic acid; Lactic acid bacteria; Metabolites; Microbiomes; Microbiota; Microorganisms; Opportunist infection; Organic acids; Polymorphism; postbiotic patents; postbiotic production; Probiotics; Production processes; skin care; Skin diseases; skin microbiome; Taxonomy; Wound healing; United States
• ISSN: 2311-5637; 2311-5637
• DOI: 10.3390/fermentation9030264

The skin microbiome is composed of a complex association of bacteria, fungi, and viruses. The maintenance of skin commensal microbes is essential for preventing the overgrowth of pathogenic microorganisms or already present opportunistic pathogens. Thus, the development of bioactive compounds capable of modulating skin microbiome has become an important topic for both researchers and the cosmetic industry. Increasingly, scientific evidence highlights that metabolites derived from probiotics have a great potential to prevent diseases affecting the skin. These compounds have recently been called postbiotics and are defined as a “preparation of inanimate microorganisms and/or their components that confers a health benefit on the host”. Postbiotics are obtained from fermentations performed almost exclusively by lactic acid bacteria and yeast. Short-chain fatty acids, bacteriocins, and organic acids are some examples of postbiotics. These compounds exhibit antimicrobial, immunomodulatory, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory activities. In addition, postbiotic production possesses technological advantages, including high stability and increased safety, compared to viable probiotics. In this article, a model for the large-scale production of postbiotics and their uses in cosmetic formulations are reviewed. In addition, results obtained from in vivo tests for the treatment of alopecia, acne, atopic dermatitis, and wound healing are discussed. Finally, technological advances are shown based on a survey of the main patents filed in the area of postbiotics.