I talk about the skin microbiome a lot—not just because emerging research around the topic personally fascinates me, but because so many of the experts I trust and respect also see the potential in microbiome skin care. 

One of my favorite people to chat with about the microbiome is mbg collective member and board-certified dermatologist Whitney Bowe, M.D. At this point, she’s best known for her skin care routine “skin cycling” that went viral last year, but she’s also a regular for many media outlets, talk shows, and has amassed a huge following on social media. 

A core part of what she talks about in skin care is barrier support—starting with the microbiome. “The skin barrier is a living, thriving ecosystem. It’s so much more dynamic and complicated than what we originally thought,” she told me. “We need to find ways to keep it balanced, rich, and thriving. And in terms of repairing the skin barrier, it really needs to start with the microbiome.” 

And to do so, she turns to pre and postbiotics. For example, postbiotics are nonliving beneficial outputs from probiotics that can “interact with the epidermal cells and your skin barrier in a very positive way.” She explains that there are several types of postbiotics, including essential fatty acids, antimicrobial peptides, and so on. Prebiotics are like fertilizer, which can help “nourish the good bugs.”