Both the trendy and the health-conscious are familiar with kombucha, a fermented drink and oral probiotic that’s beloved for its medicinal and health advantages. Rich in healthy bacteria, those who dabble in this fizzy beverage are aware of its belly-balancing benefits—myself included! But what does this miracle drink do for acne-prone skin?
Kombucha can work wonders for some acne-prone skin types thanks to its high concentration of live probiotics and population of bacteria. In spite of that, it may not be a cure for some types of acne, and may cause skin to worsen depending on individual sensitivities and allergies. I’ll go into detail about all of this as we go on!
Why Kombucha Can Help Acne
It’s not pseudoscience, but it’s definitely not just the act of drinking kombucha that’s clearing up your skin- it’s actually related to your gut health. I was shocked to find this out, so I can only assume it’ll come across as a surprise to you, but the state of your gut can dictate the health of your entire body– your skin included!
Balance Your Gut Health
When gut health isn’t balanced, we’re more likely to deal with inflammatory skin conditions like acne. This can be caused by your gut flora becoming compromised, allowing partially digested food to enter your bloodstream- the relationship between the two is known as the gut-skin axis.
With that in mind, eating foods that help out your gut’s ecosystem is the ideal way to strengthen your body’s defense against potential trouble. One of the best foods you can eat? The fermented kind– that includes drinks like Kombucha, which is great for your stomach’s microbiome.
Boost Intestinal Health & Immune Function
Since the probiotic and bacteria content in kombucha is so rich, it boosts intestinal health and immune function. Full of antioxidants and probiotics, drinking kombucha allows the body to digest foods more easily, which consequently aids in immune function and clearing up your complexion!
Alkalize Your Body
Another major benefit that kombucha holds is its ability to alkalize your body to a state of equilibrium. The natural pH levels of our body are only slightly alkaline, and in order to reach a neutral state, we need to consume alkalizing foods- like, you guessed it, the ‘buch!
Kombucha, though slightly acidic, contains countless minerals thanks to the fermentation process, which in turn neutralizes the body and keeps our internal systems running smoothly- allowing for the maximum health of things like the condition of our skin.
Is Kombucha Good For Acne?
When it comes to acne-prone skin, drinking kombucha can kickstart some serious positive change. Here’s why:
Probiotic Health
The most instantaneous benefit of drinking kombucha is the introduction of a ton of probiotics into your digestive tract. Probiotics are your best friend- raising the strength of your immune system and directly impacting the pathophysiology of acne development. Simply put, probiotics are kind of the bomb.
And kombucha, our bubbly little friend, is quite literally teeming with live bacteria and cultures that are more effectively absorbed into our bodies. It’s a huge number too, try 10 billion culture forming units per gram of kombucha.
Because the probiotics in kombucha are live (thanks to bottling and refrigeration), drinking kombucha is a lot more effective than taking probiotic supplements- which may contain very few live cultures after sitting on the shelves for so long.
Hormone Regulation
Stomach regulation and gut health also dictates the health of your hormones. Hormonal imbalances are a major cause of acne and other skin conditions- especially for women. Probiotics help balance the hormones and the thyroid, which can cause striking changes in the condition of your skin.
The drink’s antioxidant content also acts as a full body detox, raising your body’s energy levels, lowering your carb digestion, and preventing insulin resistance- all of which can wreak havoc on your hormones if they’re out of balance.
Skin-credible Ingredients
It would literally take me forever and a day to list out all of the note-worthy ingredients that kombucha contains, so to save us some time, I’ve narrowed it down to my top three:
- Regulated amounts of Acetic Acid, which is an active ingredient in the vinegar content of kombucha, holds a strong reputation as an antimicrobial and antioxidant.
- Glucoronic Acid helps in the cell regeneration process, positively impacting the skin cell renewal procedure and lifespan of active acne.
- Gluconic Acid, like the former, also helps speed up the exfoliation process.
Who Can Benefit From Drinking Kombucha?
Almost everyone will be able to see the positive effects of drinking kombucha, but when it comes to skin- there are two certain forms of acne that can most notably benefit from the drink: cystic and hormonal.
Cystic acne, which is categorized as being deeply-rooted and particularly painful, is linked to gut health and hormonal imbalance. Since kombucha cultures have a direct positive impact on both these areas, it makes sense that so many people have success stories when it comes to introducing daily kombucha drinking in their routines.
One kombucha drinker who has suffered from cystic acne for the past few years noticed that, after introducing the beverage into her daily diet, 70% of her acne went away- including blemishes on her back and jawline. This was a huge surprise to her, considering she tried multiple approaches to clear her acne with no success.
Hormonal acne sufferers can tell their acne apart by their telltale deep nodules, and frequency around the chin and jawline areas.
The B-Vitamin content in kombucha, makes it an amazing defense against hormonal acne, especially if you notice an influx of breakouts before your menstrual cycle. Here’s just a couple of the different B Vitamins in the drink that target unhealthy skin:
- B2 which aids in cell growth
- B3 which is known as Niacin, promotes healthy skin
- B6 which promotes proper immune function
- B12 which boots red blood cell health
Reasons Why Kombucha May Not Be Good For You
Though great for some forms of acne, kombucha may not cause visible changes (both positive and negative) for those with probiotic sensitivity or fungal acne.
Probiotic Sensitivity
If you’re serious about taking care of your skin, one of the most important things to do is knowing your personal triggers and sensitivities. Though rare, it’s entirely possible that probiotics may have the opposite effect on your body, and actually exaggerate existing conditions rather than fixing them.
Whenever you introduce a new food into your diet, I recommend trying out small amounts at a time and seeing how your skin reacts. Make note of any unsavory reactions so you know which food groups to avoid. For example, if you notice kim-chi makes your skin freak out, it’s probably best to avoid other fermented foods like kombucha.
Fungal Acne
Unlike standard acne, which features pus-filled pustules, fungal acne is a condition in which the hair follicles become inflamed with a type of yeast. This type of acne is known for its stubbornness, and unfortunately, kombucha can’t remedy it in the way that it can treat other types of acne.
Because it’s considered a type of yeast infection, the last thing you’ll want to do is irritate your condition by introducing even more yeast into your diet. This means taking the high road to avoid things like bread, and fermented foods like beer and, you guessed it, kombucha.
Yeast, which feeds on sugar, is found heavily in kombucha- the drink features 30 different types of yeast in it! Speaking of the sweet stuff, there are some brands of kombucha that can contain upwards of 20g of sugar per bottle. With sugar being a potential acne trigger, a bottle of ‘bucha may be the last thing you need.
How To Use Kombucha To Treat Acne?
The two main ways to treat your acne with kombucha are by drinking it, or by applying it to the skin as a mask, toner, or even as a face wash.
Drinking Kombucha
The probiotic benefits of kombucha are the most potent when it comes to treating acne, but you won’t see results overnight. Generally, it takes around 2-3 weeks of daily probiotic consumption in order for you to see notable results, though it could vary depending on the starting state of your gut ecosystem.
Kombucha In Skincare
Because of it’s anti-inflammatory effects, kombucha has become more and more prominent in the topical skincare world! Though you can buy these products in store, I would definitely recommend DIY’ing it so you can test out how it reacts on your skin before you commit to something more expensive!
DIY Mask, Wash, and Toner
If you dare to venture into creating your own Kombucha, you can make the most out of the process by using your brew to clean your skin.
- Toner After brewing, set some of your tea aside into a toner dispensing jar (I really like this amber one), and use it in place of your toner. The natural ingredients can reduce oiliness and shine.
- Wash If you’re looking for a gentle face wash, splash some kombucha onto your face in place of your standard cleanser. The concentrated amount of probiotics and nutrients will leave your skin glowing. One DIY’er found that it dried out her pimples and left her face radiant.
- SCOBY Mask Known as “the mother”, the SCOBY in Kombucha is a congealed form of good bacteria and yeast that turn tea into the ‘buch. You can only get your hands on it if you brew your own tea, so it’s extra special. The DIY’er we mentioned previously used her SCOBY as a face mask, as did Trace Barnhill from Glossier, and they both found their skin radiant, dewy, and plump after one use.
How To Select A Good Kombucha Brand?
When I tell you the kombucha section at the supermarket can be overwhelming, I mean it- especially when your skin is counting on you being particular. Here a couple of tips I’ve learned along the way that I’ve noticed making all the difference:
- Look for dark-colored glass bottles, that preserve the live cultures in the drink better than clear containers (this is because the live bacteria are light sensitive).
- For the sugar sensitive, go for a 0% juice option.
- It’s difficult to get a true probiotic count with kombucha, so if you happen to see an exact number on the nutrition label- it’s likely there were probiotic supplements added to the drink, so it’s not exactly all natural.
It may take a bit of trial and error, but I promise you’ll find your bubbly match made in heaven. Need some inspo? I personally have a fondness for the Health-Ade and Brew Dr. Kombucha brands! Happy kombuch-ing!
