Just a trend?
It’s not a trend, or a fad - it’s a breakthrough and it’s here to stay!
The influx of biotic and biome-friendly skin care has caught the attention of the largest personal care and cosmetic brands the world over. Following extensive research and clinical results this is the biggest development to the beauty and self care industry in some time.
And it’s now being adopted by the livestock and pet care industry as microbiome science is showing us just how important our animals' skin is, and just how badly we have been treating it. Even more urgent is what we can do to restore it.
With all things new, comes the need to educate and fact-check. That’s why Pure Steed has collated extensive resources in ‘The Science’ blog to help horse owners understand our ‘Microbiome-Friendly’ approach.
Your horses’ skin is too important to neglect.
The emergence of this subgenre in equine grooming calls for an ‘all-in’ approach, matched by unwavering transparency. Products designed to nourish your horses' skin, restore and replenish the skin microbiome combined with a high-end quality hair care solution can’t be achieved through minor alterations of existing products.
This science-powered approach and calibre of ingredients means a shift from the consumer-driven pricing of grooming goods and brings forward a swag of premium quality ingredients that have previously been overlooked.
The hero in bio-grooming comes from its biotic specific properties being pre, pro and post-biotic ingredients. These ingredients work towards skin-biome affinity and skin-barrier support.
The goal is to ensure a diverse and thriving microbiome because when your horse has a thriving microbiome the skin is better able to manage the bodies hydrating mechanism, deal with inflammation and protect itself from unwanted pathogens, and environmental stressors, fight infection and manage skin trauma. Overall supporting your horses' immune system to react appropriately to external threats.
What is bio-grooming?
The quick answer is equine skin-biome care combined with hair care.
Understanding the role of biotic ingredients will allow horse owners to have a better understanding of their horses' skin, but also gut health given the scientifically proven skin-gut-axis.
Pre-biotics - Think of prebiotics as fertilizer for your horses’ good bacteria, they are non-living cells and are a viable product, efficiently used in oral supplements and topically applied skin care. They are usually fibres, sugars and amino acids that selectively stimulate the growth and/or activity of indigenous bacteria. Through ‘fertilization’ with pre-biotics you allow good bacteria to thrive.
Pro-biotics - Probiotics are live bacteria and yeasts that are known for having various health benefits. These microorganism can be introduced to the body orally (ingested) or topically (via skin care). Given they contain live organisms their viability in commercial long-range products can be tricky, especially for cosmetics where the industry standard is for 36 months shelf life, this expectation is also true for livestock (sheep, cattle, horses) and pet industry grooming products.
Post-biotics - Less known than pre and pro-biotics, they are the new frontier in skin care, being bioactive compounds produced by pro-biotic bacteria when they consume pre-biotics as a result of fermentation. These by-products provide all the benefits of both a pre and pro-biotic but in a non-viable (live) state. Meaning they are perfect for manufacturing, given they are not altered by the production, packaging or storage of products but contain all the goodies!
Given the sophistication of post-biotics, it is vital that the complimentary ingredients selected for each product is of superior quality and do not diminish or risk the properties post-biotics harness. It requires careful consideration and expert formulation in the selection of surfactants, preservatives, fragrance, acidity and other active and bio-active ingredients.
This is a specialist field, not all manufacturers can advise and produce ‘Microbiome-Friendly’ products, and many do not have the plant and equipment available to manage bio-ferments. Some believe pH-balanced products are sufficient skin-barrier support, however, extensive research and clinical studies strongly reject this belief.
Pure Steed is an early adopter of ‘Microbiome-Friendly’ grooming. Developing a world-first bio-grooming solution harnessing the power of post-biotics for your horses’ best skin, coat, mane and tail ever.
When only the best will do for your horse, there’s Pure Steed.