Postbiotics are inactive bacterial components (like short-chain fatty acids and enzymes) that don't need to be alive to work, which means they're safer and more stable than probiotics. Early research shows they can strengthen your gut barrier and reduce inflammation, with emerging studies exploring whether they could do the same for skin, though that skin research is still very new.

This is a literature review that compiled existing research on postbiotics rather than conducting original experiments. The authors surveyed current scientific evidence and commercial uses to identify what we know and what gaps remain.

Funding not disclosed in abstract