Introduction
Interaction with the Microbiome and millions of years of evolution has worked together to produce a very powerful and elegant mammalian immune system. Probiotic derived ingredients and probiotic mimicking agents are offering new methods to help maintain that system. Probiotic products are generally regarded as containing live organisms. The inclusion of ingredients derived from probiotic organisms into skincare formulations has been increasing for many years. However, the exact mode of action of many of these ingredients was poorly understood. The “Glucan Glow” was used in marketing without any references to mode of action or the activity level of the beta-D-glucan. The beta-D-glucans are ubiquitous in the plant kingdom. The common sources commercially used include yeasts, mushrooms, fungi and even bacteria in some cases. In almost all cases these are powders isolated from the organism or the grown organism itself.
Glucans, the oral ones need help to work on skin
Many of these beta-D-glucan sources, suitable for oral ingestion, must be activated for optimizing the glucan for topical use. This activation normally occurs during the digestion process. This is necessary because many beta 1,3-D-Glucans glucans often “hidden” by other molecular types in the actual living organism and require being processed to certain molecular weights and/or particle sizes optimized for topical activity. What exactly to expose these structures to the immuno-active process. Not only exposing the molecular weight and distribution. Even now this is a “trial and error” process to optimize. However, the final results from this “natural and beneficial” process without inflammation-critical factor-are worth the effort.
