Microbiome skincare and spa brand Esse Skincare has launched three new products containing lactobacillus bacteria to boost the effect of medical aesthetic treatments.

Non-invasive interventions like microneedling, laser resurfacing and deep peels are now widely used in medical aesthetics.

Esse has drawn upon its 10 years of research in the skin microbiome to improve the overall efficacy of these treatments by reducing inflammation, speeding recovery and reducing adverse outcomes.

The new Esse Pre-care Oil, Esse Activator and Esse Post-care Oil formulations were developed by company founder, Trevor Steyn, and his research team.

Steyn commented: “We have a unique advantage in dealing with compromised skin before and after treatment.

“We can use live lactobacillus bacteria to help the microbiome to protect the skin while it heals. This improves client outcomes and reduces risk for the practitioner. Live bacteria are used in a similar role in new treatment protocols for third-degree burn victims.”

In a first for Esse, the new products are packaged so the live bacteria is kept dormant in soluble capsules until application.

The process

In the preparation phase, the Pre-care Oil is used to deliver low levels of probiotics to allow the skin to acclimatise to Esse’s proprietary lactobacillus strains.

The Activator is then applied to release the probiotics onto the skin by dissolving the microcapsules, providing a tailored nutrient mix to feed these beneficial microbes.

After the procedure, the level of probiotics is increased to provide protection by competitive exclusion, fulfilling one of the primary roles of the microbiome. Esse says the Activator ensures that the pH is buffered to the correct level and that these microbes are effectively released onto the skin, along with selective nutrients.

For the Post-care Oil, Esse worked with a new ingredient; sapienic acid. This is the most abundant fatty acid in sebum and it's unique to humans, as no other animals produce it.The compound can only be found in our skin.

According to Esse, sapienic acid is toxic to skin pathogens, but our commensal microbes have evolved immunity so it is actually a powerful ingredient to support the reinstatement of a healthy skin microbiome.