Scent & Care | Corporate

probiotic-based cosmetic ingredients
— Symrise and Probi are joining forces to develop probiotic-based ingredients with cosmetic effects
— Researchers are working on cosmetic ingredients for consumers with sensitive and dry skin

Symrise and the Swedish bioengineering company Probi are working together on probiotic-based cosmetic ingredients. The beneficial effect of probiotics on health has long been scientifically proven. A team of researchers from both companies is now developing cosmetic ingredients for topical applications that are suitable for particularly sensitive and dry skin.

The cooperation between Symrise and Probi combines expertise from two different industries. Probi is known on the market for well documented probiotic health products with excellent clinical documentation. The Swedish company has established an expansive database of bacterial strains. In addition, Probi can produce and supply commercial quantities of probiotics with consistently high quality.

Symrise has comprehensive experience in manufacturing cosmetic raw materials with functional benefits. In addition, Symrise has many years of expertise in producing spray-dried products for use in food and as cosmetic raw materials. “In our joint project, Probi brings extensive know-how about development and production of probiotic bacteria as well as a library of unique bacterial strains, and Symrise adds the expertise of its cellular, molecular and micro-biologists as well as cosmetic formulation know-how,” said Gerhard Schmaus, Vice President Global Innovation Cosmetic Ingredients at Symrise. “We are convinced that this interdisciplinary collaboration will result in innovative cosmetic ingredients with many benefits, especially for sensitive skin.”

Research based on Lactobacilli

In their research, the groups of scientists led by Dr. Kerstin Holmgren and Dr. Niklas Larson from Probi and Dr. Gerhard Schmaus and Dr. Dominik Stuhlmann from Symrise, are currently focusing on the bacterial genus Lactobacillus. These bacteria are naturally occuring in dairy products, plants, the gastrointestinal system, and on the skin of humans and animals. “We have already been able to demonstrate the effect of Lactobacilli on human health in numerous studies,” said Kerstin Holmgren. “We are now looking forward to seeing how the application of probiotic-based products affects the skin.” One of the researchers’ goals is to develop cosmetics based on Lactobacilli for consumers with sensitive and dry skin. “From several bacterial strains, Probi's Lactobacillus plantarum HEAL19 proved to be the most suitable to strengthen the skin barrier,” said Imke Meyer, Senior Global Product Manager Actives at Symrise. “We are now working to make a product based on this specific Lactobacillus strain available for use in cosmetics.”