What Are Bioferments in Skincare?

Nature enhanced by fermentation

Bioferments have become an increasingly interesting area of cosmetic science. Fermentation can transform the chemical composition of a raw material, altering existing compounds and generating others that were not present, or were present in different forms, before fermentation.

But bioferments are not a single type of ingredient, nor do they all offer the same effects. Their composition and properties depend on what is fermented, the microorganisms involved, the conditions under which fermentation takes place, and how the resulting material is subsequently processed.

What are bioferments?

Bioferments are ingredients produced through fermentation, a biological process in which microorganisms such as bacteria or yeasts act on a nutrient-containing substrate.

In cosmetics, botanical materials are frequently used as substrates, although fermentation technology is not limited to plants. Microorganisms can also be cultivated using sugars and other nutrient sources to produce compounds of interest for cosmetic formulations.

During fermentation, microorganisms metabolize components of their environment. This can transform compounds already present in the substrate while also generating microbial metabolites.

The fermented material may subsequently undergo filtration, separation, purification or other processing, depending on the ingredient being produced.

For this reason, terms such as ferment, ferment filtrate and ferment lysate should not be regarded as interchangeable. They describe materials obtained through different processes and potentially containing different components.

What does fermentation change?

One of the most interesting aspects of fermentation is biotransformation.

Research on fermented botanical materials shows that microorganisms can alter their phytochemical composition. For example, particular fermentation processes can convert glycosides into their corresponding aglycones and alter the concentrations or forms of other biologically active compounds.

Studies have consequently found differences in biological activity between certain fermented botanical extracts and their unfermented counterparts.

This does not, however, mean that fermentation automatically makes an ingredient more effective. The outcome depends on the starting material, microorganism, fermentation conditions and subsequent processing.

Does fermentation improve bioavailability?

It can — but this requires an important qualification.Research on particular fermented botanical extracts has shown that microbial transformation can produce smaller or chemically different forms of phytochemicals.

In some experimental models, these changes have been associated with increased permeability and biological activity compared with the corresponding unfermented material.

It would therefore be inaccurate to say that all bioferments are inherently more bioavailable or more easily absorbed by the skin.

Instead, increased bioavailability is a potential consequence of particular fermentation processes and needs to be demonstrated for the ingredient in question.

What benefits can fermented ingredients offer?

Research into individual fermented materials has investigated a broad range of properties relevant to skincare, including antioxidant activity, hydration, barrier function and biological responses associated with inflammation and pigmentation.

These findings are promising, but they should not be interpreted as universal properties of bioferments.

Studies reviewed in the scientific literature have, for example, reported increased antioxidant activity following fermentation of certain botanical substrates. Other fermented materials have demonstrated different biological effects. The outcome depends on the particular combination of substrate, microorganism, fermentation process and resulting material.

Importantly, much of the research on fermented botanical ingredients remains laboratory-based. Reviews of the available evidence have identified encouraging results while also emphasizing the need for greater standardization and further clinical validation.

What about sensitive skin?

Fermentation alone does not make an ingredient suitable for sensitive skin. Suitability depends on the specific ingredient, its concentration, the complete formulation and individual skin response.

There is, however, clinical evidence concerning certain bacteria-derived ingredients.


One randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study involving 66 women with reactive skin investigated a topical formulation containing a specific Bifidobacterium longum lysate. After two months, the group using the formulation containing the lysate showed reduced skin sensitivity and increased resistance to experimentally induced barrier disruption compared with the control formulation. 

These findings concern that particular Bifidobacterium-derived material and the formulation in which it was studied. They should not be extrapolated to bacterial ferments or bioferments as a whole.

Bioferments and the skin microbiome

Fermentation and the skin microbiome are closely associated concepts in contemporary skincare, but they should not be confused.

A cosmetic ingredient produced through fermentation does not necessarily contain living microorganisms. Depending on its production and subsequent processing, a ferment-derived ingredient may contain microbial metabolites, cellular components, transformed substrate components or combinations of these.

For this reason, describing every bioferment as a “probiotic” is inaccurate.

Likewise, the presence of a ferment in a formulation does not by itself demonstrate that the product balances, restores or otherwise alters the skin microbiome. Such effects require evidence for the specific ingredient or formulation.

Examples of ferment-derived ingredients in skincare

Yeast-derived ferments
Yeasts, including species belonging to Saccharomyces, are widely used in biotechnology. Fermentation involving yeast can generate metabolites and transform components of the fermentation medium, producing materials that can subsequently be incorporated into cosmetic formulations.

The composition and biological properties of a yeast-derived ferment depend on its substrate, fermentation conditions and subsequent processing.

Lactobacillus-derived ferments
Lactobacillus species are also used to produce cosmetic ferment ingredients.

A Lactobacillus-derived ingredient should not, however, be considered equivalent to every other Lactobacillus ferment. The substrate, fermentation conditions and downstream processing all influence what ultimately remains in the cosmetic raw material.

The properties of an individual Lactobacillus-derived ingredient therefore need to be considered according to evidence relating to that particular material rather than attributed to Lactobacillus ferments as a whole.

Bifida Ferment Lysate
Bifida Ferment Lysate is an example of a bacteria-derived lysate used in skincare.

Research on specific Bifidobacterium-derived preparations has investigated effects relevant to reactive skin and barrier resilience. In the clinical study described above, a formulation containing a specific Bifidobacterium longum lysate was associated with reduced skin sensitivity and greater resistance to experimentally induced barrier disruption compared with the control formulation.

These findings concern the particular material and formulation studied and should not be generalized to other ferment lysates.

Fermented botanical ingredients
Plant-derived materials can also serve as substrates for fermentation.

Research has investigated fermented materials derived from soybean, berries, ginseng, aloe, rice and numerous other botanical sources. Fermentation can alter their phytochemical profiles and, in some cases, has produced measurable differences in biological activity compared with the corresponding unfermented material.

What matters scientifically is therefore not simply that an ingredient is “fermented,” but what was fermented, which microorganisms were involved, under what conditions fermentation occurred, and what the resulting ingredient contains.

Not all bioferments are the same

This may be the most important distinction.“Bioferment” describes how an ingredient is produced rather than guaranteeing a particular effect on the skin.

Two ingredients produced using different microorganisms, substrates or processing methods can have very different chemical compositions and biological properties.

Fermentation can be a valuable tool for transforming botanical materials and producing ingredients of cosmetic interest. Research provides compelling examples of these transformations, but the evidence belongs to the individual fermented material being studied — not automatically to the entire category of bioferments.

A note on the evidence
Scientific research into fermented cosmetic ingredients continues to develop. Laboratory studies can provide valuable information about chemical composition and biological mechanisms, while controlled human studies provide stronger evidence for effects on the skin.Bioferments should therefore be considered individually and according to the evidence available for the specific ingredient.

In our formulation

The bioferment complex selected for Gentle Bioferment Serum takes a different approach. It combines Haematococcus pluvialis extract with yeast ferment extract and Lactobacillus ferment, bringing together a microalgae-derived source of astaxanthin with two biotechnology-derived fermented components.

In vitro testing of this specific complex has also investigated its activity under experimentally induced inflammatory conditions, where it produced a marked reduction in levels of IL-6, a signaling molecule involved in the inflammatory response.

Taken together, emerging research helps explain the growing interest in fermented ingredients in contemporary skincare. Their value, however, cannot be reduced to fermentation alone: different microorganisms, substrates and fermentation processes produce distinctly different materials, each requiring evaluation on its own merits.

For us, this makes the careful selection of specific bioferments — and the evidence behind them — more meaningful than simply following the broader trend toward fermented skincare.

Herman A, Herman AP. Biological Activity of Fermented Plant Extracts for Potential Dermal Applications. Pharmaceutics. 2023;15(12):2775. doi:10.3390/pharmaceutics15122775.

Suhaera S, Sammulia SF, Prayoga DK, et al. Fermented Plant-Derived Phytoconstituents in Biocosmetics: Pharmacological Enhancements and Applications. Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology. 2026;19:602919. doi:10.2147/CCID.S602919.

Otsuka A, et al. Fermented Cosmetics and Metabolites of Skin Microbiota—A New Approach to Skin Health. Fermentation. 2022;8(12):703. doi:10.3390/fermentation8120703.

Guéniche A, Bastien P, Ovigne JM, Kermici M, Courchay G, Chevalier V, Breton L, Castiel-Higounenc I. Bifidobacterium longum lysate, a new ingredient for reactive skin. Experimental Dermatology. 2010;19(8):e1–e8. doi:10.1111/j.1600-0625.2009.00932.x.

Salminen S, Collado MC, Endo A, et al. The International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics (ISAPP) consensus statement on the definition and scope of postbiotics. Nature Reviews Gastroenterology & Hepatology. 2021;18:649–667. doi:10.1038/s41575-021-00440-6.

Marco ML, Sanders ME, Gänzle M, et al. The International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics (ISAPP) consensus statement on fermented foods. Nature Reviews Gastroenterology & Hepatology. 2021;18:196–208. doi:10.1038/s41575-020-00390-5.