Lactic acid bacteria play a beneficial role in promoting human health. Their Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS) status and various therapeutic and functional properties make lactic acid bacteria widely applicable in food, cosmetic and medicine industries.

Previous research has demonstrated the positive impact of lactic acid bacteria, their extracts, or ferments on skin health. These effects include improvements in skin conditions and the prevention of skin diseases. For instance, lipoteichoic acid – derived from Lactobacillus plantarum, inhibits melanogenesis in B16F10 melanoma cells. Additionally, it expresses anti-photoaging effects on human skin cells by regulating the expression of matrix metalloproteinase-1.

Oral administration of Lactobacillus delbrueckii and other lactic acid bacteria has demonstrated preventive effects against atopic diseases. Moreover, both clinical and histologic evidence supports the efficacy of topically applied lactic acid in depigmentation and improving skin texture––reducing the effects of environmental photo-damage. Recent research findings have proven lactic acid bacteria beneficial for skin health and are gaining applications in skin-whitening cosmetics.

Source:Huang HC, Lee IJ, Huang C, Chang TM. Lactic acid bacteria and lactic acid for skin health and melanogenesis inhibition. Curr Pharm Biotechnol. 2020;21(7):566-77.