Issue link: https://www.ascpskindeepdigital.com/i/1507658
Exclusive member benefit: Get the ASCP SkinPro app at ascpskincare.com/skinpro 33 INGREDIENT DECK Freshly Brewed Skin Care Fermented, clean ingredients for your practice by Ella Cressman FERMENTED. WHEN YOU THINK of this word, what comes to mind? Beer? Yes. Kombucha? Uh-huh. Kimchi? For sure. Skin care? Maybe not so much. But fermented ingredients are starting to make waves in the skin care industry, especially for their ability to improve skin health in a more sustainable and natural way. WHAT DOES IT MEAN IF SOMETHING IS FERMENTED? "Fermentation is the process in which a substance breaks down into a simpler substance." 1 When an organic compound ferments, or if it is fermented, it goes through a chemical change where yeast or bacteria changes the original structure. Before modern storage solutions were available, fermentation was a practice to preserve and enhance the nutritional value of some foods and beverages so there would be a year-round food supply. The transformation of these natural substances by beneficial microorganisms was a process that created unique flavors and textures; it also increased the bioavailability of essential nutrients. The art of fermentation sustained not just hunger satiety, but nutritional health when fresh, nutrient-dense food was not available. Some say fermentation was one of the main contributors to humanity's development, and the practice can be considered one of the first uses of biotechnology. As with many skin care discoveries, this dietary practice soon made its way into ancient beautification rituals and perhaps the birth of many skin health ideologies still in practice today.