We all know that acne and pimples are actually caused by bacteria, and that’s why so much of beauty wisdom revolves around cleansing your face thoroughly every day to make sure you don’t give those bacteria a fighting chance.
Imagine how shocked we were, then, when we found out that these people are instead putting bacteria on their face all in the name of beauty!
Is it really as crazy as it sounds? We delved deeper into the whole phenomenon and realised that this apparently unfathomable trend may actually be scientifically justified. Suspend your disbelief for a bit and hear us out!
Not all bacteria are the same
The first thing we need to understand is that bacteria aren’t all the same; some of them are actually necessary for us to enjoy good health and, as we investigate in this article, good skin too.
Bacteria come in many, many different types and strains, so many that we probably haven’t discovered them all yet. Just like how you wouldn’t say a dog is the same as a wolf, it’d be incorrect to say that one strain of bacteria is the same as another.
In fact, some strains of bacteria are essential for our good health and survival. The best example of which are the bacteria found in our guts. There are over 400 species of bacteria found in our gastro-intestinal tract, and you actually need them to help you digest the nutrients from your food effectively.
On top of that, the ‘good’ bacteria in your gut helps to protect you from getting infected by other strains of less friendly “bad” bacteria. That’s also why doctors recommend you to eat “probiotics” during or after a bout of diarrhoea or stomach flu.
“Good” bacteria, or probiotics, really do help your skin
Probiotics refer to supplements that contain the actual ‘good’ bacteria themselves to replenish what your body may be lacking at that moment to restore it to health.
The case is similar for our skin. Acne and pimples are caused by the notorious Propionibacterium acnes, which lives deep inside the follicles. The bacteria that people have been putting on their skin is anything but that!
The bacteria that have been found to be ‘good’ for skin are strains such as Bifidobacterium longum. A scientific study has shown that it can decrease skin sensitivity, and even help the skin to defend itself against physical and chemical irritants.
Amongst other things, the Bifidobacterium longum bacteria also makes your skin barrier stronger and more resilient, which in turn helps your skin retain moisture more efficiently. No more getting nagged at by your facialist for having “dehydrated” skin no matter how much you moisturise!
You know what else is good for your skin, besides the bacteria in probiotics? Fungi. As in, yeast.
Yes, you read that right: yeast. In other words, fungus. Any product that contains ingredients said to be “fermented” or from “ferment extracts” will contain some form of fungal extracts – but that really isn’t as scary as it sounds.
Just like bacteria, fungi come in an uncountable number of strains. Sure, there’re some harmful ones that might cause infections in humans, just like how there are some harmful bacteria out there. But there are also some strains that can actually beneficial to the skin.
For example, this scientific study concluded that the strain of yeast called Saccharomyces cerevisiae actually had long-term effects in improving skin texture!
It also found that the S. cerevisiae extract was able to brighten the skin, and improve skin moisture as well!
We bet you never knew that bacteria and fungi could actually become a highly beneficial part of your skincare routine.
Where can you get this concoction of bacteria and fungi?
Now that you know how useful bacteria and fungus can be on your skin, the people who have been putting them on their faces in the name of beauty don’t seem that crazy after all. In fact, it begins to feel like a beauty secret that they’ve just not let on until now.
But now your problem is: where do you even get started finding probiotics for your skin? Not many beauty brands out there proclaim that they contain bacteria and fungi in their products.
We’ve found just the one for you.
The Lancôme Advanced Génifique Youth Activating Concentrate Serum actually contains both the above-mentioned “good” bacteria and fungus: Bifidobacterium longum and Saccharomyces cerevisiae. We’ve already mentioned that these help to improve your skin’s defenses against the environment and strengthen your skin barrier, giving you overall healthier skin.
The scientific study investigating the efficacy of the fungus analysed their volunteers’ skins after 3 hours, 15 days, and 30 days to get their results. In the same vein, the Lancôme Advanced Génifique Youth Activating Concentrate Serum promises healthy radiance and younger, smoother skin that will be visible and tangible in only 7 days.
Lancôme Advanced Génifique Youth Activating Concentrate Serum will improve ten key signs of youth, which includes skin texture, resilience, elasticity, firmness, sagginess, fine lines, wrinkles, radiance, clarity, and skin tone – all of which have scientific evidence considering the studies we have found backing up the usefulness of the probiotics found in the product.
Not content with just theoretical support, Lancôme has also done their own clinical study with 34 women using the Advanced Génifique Youth Activating Concentrate Serum and these are the results:
Clinical results after 8 weeks (% of improvement noticed):
- Texture +57%
- Resiliency +49%
- Elasticity +50%
- Firmness +49%
- Sagginess +46%
- Fine lines +42%
- Wrinkles +46%
- Radiance +52%
- Clarity +47%
- Even Skin Tone +42%
Lancôme Advanced Génifique Youth Activating Concentrate Serum is suitable for any age and every skin type. It’s meant to be used morning and night every day, and can be used as the first step of your daily skincare routine.
Don’t worry, it’s oil-free and quick to absorb, so you won’t have to worry about your makeup sitting on top of it. It even has a self-loading dropper – one drop is enough for your entire face – so you won’t have to fumble around with messy packaging.
Get a complimentary mini-facial and 7-day trial kit
If you don’t believe that using probiotics on your skin will help you achieve a visible difference to your skin, you’re in for a treat.
All Lancôme counters are equipped to give you a mini-facial using the Lancôme Advanced Génifique Youth Activating Concentrate Serum, and you’ll walk away after the service with a 7-day trial kit so you can see the difference for yourself.
During the complimentary mini-facial, the Lancôme Advanced Génifique Youth Activating Concentrate Serum will be massaged into your skin using a special ultra-sound applicator that you won’t find anywhere else. You’ll even be able to see some immediate differences!
The Lancôme Advanced Génifique Youth Activating Concentrate Serum mini-facial and the 7-day trial kit are complimentary for you to try at any Lancôme counter island-wide. Walk-ins are possible, but making an appointment is recommended.
Psst, the friendly Lancôme staff will even give you a mini makeover after the facial so you don’t have to worry about finding a day where you can go down to the counter bare-faced!
Simply register below! You will receive a confirmation sms where you can book a slot at your preferred Lancôme counter.
This article is brought to you by Lancome.
