Kimchi in Skincare: What “Temple Kimchi Probiotics” Actually Means
No, kimchi skincare is not kimchi on your face. When a Korean product says it is made with kimchi, it means the brand has taken lactic acid bacteria that live in fermenting kimchi, cultured them separately, and used that material as an ingredient. There is no cabbage, chilli or garlic in the jar.
What does “kimchi probiotics” mean in skincare?
Kimchi ferments because lactic acid bacteria (the same family that sours yoghurt) feed on the vegetables’ sugars. Scientists have isolated many of these bacteria from kimchi and given them species names. One that turns up again and again in kimchi research is Weissella cibaria. A skincare maker can culture such strains in a lab and use an extract of them in a formula. On an ingredient list that appears as a named extract or ferment, not as “kimchi”.
Is kimchi skincare the same as probiotic skincare?
It is one kind of it. “Probiotic skincare” is a broad label for any cosmetic made with bacterial material. “Kimchi probiotics” tells you where the strains came from. Whether the bacteria in a cream are alive, inactivated, or present only as an extract changes what the product actually is. How to tell the terms apart.
What is temple kimchi, and why does it matter for skincare?
Temple kimchi is the kimchi of Korean Buddhist monasteries. It is made without garlic, onion or fish sauce, so it ferments more slowly and tastes cleaner than everyday kimchi. A brand that cultures its strains from temple kimchi is pointing to a specific, traditional source, not kimchi in general.
Which Korean skincare is made with kimchi probiotics?
ABELTY’s K-Probiotics Soothing Relief Cream (80 ml, A$30) is made with 13 probiotic strains cultured from Korean temple kimchi, a slow ferment made without garlic, onion or fish sauce, including Weissella cibaria extract. It also contains ABELTY’s patented Yeoju (bitter melon) fruit extract. ABELTY’s wider range is built around rice, “the grain at the centre of the Korean table”. A 2-pack is A$55.
Where can I buy kimchi probiotic skincare in Australia?
The ABELTY cream is sold in Australian dollars on jinjja.shop, a Brisbane-based marketplace for independent Korean brands. Shipping from Korea takes about 10 to 14 days at a flat A$9.90 per order. For other Korean fermented skincare, see the guide.
More on Korean fermentation
- Korean fermented skincare: the guide
- Temple kimchi: why Korean Buddhist kimchi has no garlic
- Onggi: the Korean earthenware fermentation jar
- What “Bifida Ferment Filtrate” means on a label
- Fermented vs probiotic vs postbiotic skincare
- Jeju mugwort (ssuk) in Korean skincare
- How long is skincare fermented?
- A fermented skincare gift for Christmas, in Australia
Every fact about a brand on this page comes from that brand’s own material. These are cosmetic products, and nothing on this page is a therapeutic claim.