25% off sitewide + Three-piece gift with $75 orders Shop now Select 2 free samples at checkout Shop all Free standard shipping on all US ordersShop all
Fermentation in Beauty: What It Is and How It’s Making the Industry Better

So many of our favorite foods go through fermentation — everything from the sauerkraut or pickles on your veggie dog to your favorite kombucha. Beer, wine and yogurt are all created through it, and that sourdough starter you attempted to make back when everyone was getting into baking? It's also part of the wonderful world of fermentation. Technically, fermentation is a process in which micro organisms like yeast and bacteria convert carbohydrates, such as sugar or starches, and in turn, produce a smaller compound, like alcohols (hence, beer and wine) or acids.

Fermentation is also a big thing in beauty and has gotten a lot of buzz in the past few years, but it’s far from being a novel concept. A lot of the skincare ingredients we know and love are fermented. Hyaluronic acid, which we all know is a big moisture booster, is one, as well as prized exfoliants like lactic acid, AHAs, glycolic acid and probiotics, among others. It’s also a good step to bettering the planet. “A lot of the ingredients that come from plants are actually terribly unsustainable,” says Annie Tsong, chief strategy and product officer at Amyris, Rose Inc.’s parent company. “[Beauty companies] are harvesting all these plants for this tiny, little quantity of essential oil and destroying whole ecosystems in the process. I think that there are a lot of challenges with products that we get from nature right now, and fermentation is this incredible way of being able to make those same molecules, but without destroying those ecosystems.”

“The fermented ingredients also have anti-inflammatory properties. Thanks to the fermentation process, they become rich in enzymes, which are able to soothe and prevent skin inflammation.”

How Fermented Ingredients React With Our Skin

Because fermentation breaks down molecules in size, they’re able to be absorbed into the skin better and be more potent, explains Krupa Koestline, a clean cosmetic chemist and founder of KKT Consultants. “The fermentation process maintains the integrity of the ingredients. Most of the unfermented ingredients in cosmetics are made by heating a mixed formula of ingredients to a high temperature, then cooling it, which can potentially reduce the effectiveness of the active ingredients,” she says, adding that a fermented ingredient has a more acidic pH, which has a better affinity with the skin. The fermentation also adds nutrients such as amino acids and peptides to the ingredient and makes the fermented version richer in antioxidants. “The fermented ingredients also have anti-inflammatory properties. Thanks to the fermentation process, they become rich in enzymes, which are able to soothe and prevent skin inflammation,” she says. “Basically, the enzymes eliminate the ‘bad bacteria’ the skin may contain and replace them with ‘good bacteria’, this in turn helps to preserve the skin balance.”

"With the technology that we have, we can provide an ingredient using fermentation for every single benefit area that you could possibly look for in beauty.”

Your Bag 0

Choose Free Samples


Select 2 free samples
Sample: Skin Enhance Luminous Tinted Serum

Tinted Serum 130 Deluxe

Deep Skin Tone/Neutral Undertone

Sample: Eye Revival Brightening Eye Cream Sachet

Recommended


Rose Inc Signature Gift Set - Satin Lip Trio featuring three shades of the mini Satin Lipstick

$27 $20
18 reviews

The Satin Lip Trio

$27 $20
Image of the Cream Blush Refillable Cheek & Lip Color in Hydrangea in front of the open compact - Cream blush

Hydrangea

Light cool pink

$32
431 reviews

Cream Blush Refillable Cheek & Lip Color

$32
Rose Inc Tinted Serum in shade 140 - Deep

140

Very Deep Skin Tone/Red Undertone

$49
326 reviews

Skin Enhance Luminous Tinted Serum

$49
Rose Inc Foundation Brush

$32
135 reviews

Number 3 Foundation Brush

$32
Rose Inc Eye Revival Brightening Eye Cream with cap open to show pump

$55
217 reviews

Eye Revival Brightening Eye Cream

$55
Cooling Spheres from Rose Inc

$60
7 reviews

Cooling Spheres Facial Massager Duo

$60
Image of an opened Satin Lip Color Rich Refillable Lipstick in shade Persuasive

Besotted

Beige pink

$28
442 reviews

Satin Lip Color Rich Refillable Lipstick

$28
Rose Inc Concealer Bottle

LX 200

Very Deep Skin Tone, Neutral Undertone

$30
584 reviews

Softlight Luminous Hydrating Concealer

$30
Rose Inc Concealer Brush

$26
30 reviews

Number 1 Concealer Brush

$26
Rose Inc Radiant Reveal Brightening Serum

$74
251 reviews

Radiant Reveal Brightening Serum

$74
$0.00
or 4 interest-free installments of $0.00 by Continue shopping