PARIS, Dec 11 — You might have heard of fermented vegetables and dairy products, but now it’s time to let fermentation into your bathroom. Who would have thought it?

The craze for natural cosmetics, but also for K-beauty, has given rise to a new trend in the West — fermented beauty.

And while supposedly being good for your skin, such concoctions could also benefit the environment. What’s not to like?

As we know, people’s beauty habits have changed considerably since the beginning of the pandemic, with many trading their multiple layers of cosmetics for a more minimalist and authentic routine.

This is something that’s now defined as holistic beauty.

The goal? To prevent rather than cure. To safeguard the skin from environmental factors — like pollution, tobacco, the sun, etc. — while giving it the opportunity to restore and strengthen.

To this end, the boom in prebiotics and probiotics is expanding, giving rise to a new, very similar trend, in fermented beauty.

What’s the story?

An age-old process used in many countries around the world, particularly in Asia, biological fermentation describes the transformation that certain organic materials undergo under the action of enzymes secreted by micro-organisms, according to the Larousse dictionary.

In other words, these micro-organisms — which can be enzymes, bacteria or yeasts — induce the decomposition of basic materials or ingredients to transform them into much more powerful components.

As with prebiotics, the objective is to multiply the good bacteria at the expense of bad ones in order to ramp up the power of each active ingredient and boost its benefits for the skin.

Fermentation is a technique that’s not unfamiliar to foodies in search of more digestible food, that’s richer in nutrients and has a much longer shelf life.

And the process is essentially the same for fermented beauty. Not only does fermentation act as an active ingredient booster, but it also makes for a higher concentration of nutrients and antioxidants — goodbye signs of aging — while optimising the penetration of active ingredients into the skin. What more could you ask for?

Well, listen up. Because the natural bacteria developed during the fermentation process supposedly extend the shelf life of these formulations, all with no need to use products that are harmful to the skin and to the environment. Ultimately, that’s good news for your wallet and for the planet.

2022, the year of fermented cosmetics

Some niche brands already offer — and in some cases have long offered — cosmetics based on fermented ingredients, but the giants of the sector are also starting to gradually adapt to meet new customer demands. Indeed, fermented beauty is one of the beauty trends that’s predicted to boom in 2022, as revealed by projections from trend forecaster WGSN. It’s a phenomenon that could send kombucha, a fermented tea-based drink, racing to the top of the most popular cosmetic ingredients.

In the meantime, it’s already possible to try out this new generation of cosmetics thanks to the Gallinée brand, a specialist in prebiotics, whose hair cleansing cream is enriched with fermented rice water. Otherwise, look for Innisfree and its fermented soy masks, or Whamisa, a true specialist in the field. — ETX Studio