When Larry Weiss told us about his new start-up beauty brand, how it was going to source ingredients from an organic farm in Brazil and work to conserve the biodiversity of the Amazon rainforest, protecting the culture, land and indigenous people there while also pledging 1% to environmental nonprofits annually – we were more than intrigued. We were also excited!
Dr. Weiss has a long history in making dermal-friendly products that have helped to change how people approach keeping, cleaning and maintaining their skin. With his latest brand, Symbiome, he is changing the way we think of skincare for the better. We are grateful for Symbiome’s biome-focused approach and we know our dermal layer will be grateful as well.
Suffice it to say, we are eager to introduce Symbiome’s newly certified line of skincare products to our network! Symbiome is a company that shares our care and consideration of the ecosystem. They formulate products to “…preserve and restore ancient relationships between humans, plants, microbes, and the environment.” What makes this biome-focused approach to skincare so revolutionary? Check out our interview with Founder + Chief Scientific and Product Officer, Larry Weiss to learn more.
Why are you proud of your MADE SAFE certification?
MADE SAFE and Symbiome share a core belief that the skincare products we choose should be more than just safe, they should be healthy for the user and for the environment. We take this responsibility very seriously, sustainably sourcing and selecting ingredients from the Amazonian rainforest, one of the last healthy natural biomes. Every aspect of our product lifecycle is optimized for health, safety, sustainability, and minimal environmental impact.
Why did you start your company?
We started Symbiome in 2017 to create better skincare with health and efficacy as the main design principles. With a team of microbiome scientists, microbiology PhDs, and doctors, we created safe and effective skincare products inspired by the ancestral human microbiome and driven by deep scientific research. Through this research, we now know that our skin microbiome used to produce all of the essential biomolecules needed to remain hydrated, supple, clear, and resilient against environmental stressors. By understanding what our skin is missing, we can identify and naturally restore only what we need to achieve healthy, beautiful skin.
Why are your products different from other, more conventional, products in the space?
Most skincare products are mixtures of dozens of ingredients, many of which are synthetic chemicals designed by man, developed in laboratories, and manufactured in industrial chemical plants. Our ingredients are made by actual living plants and fermented by living microbes. These Postbiomic
ingredients are sustainably sourced, biologically intact postbiotics from the Amazon rainforest. They preserve and restore ancient relationships between humans, plants, microbes, and the environment. Symbiome’s products are minimally formulated, self-stabilizing, and self-preserving natural biological systems. They are formulated with less than 10 ingredients – most have less than 4 – that deliver the full and balanced spectrum of healthy biomolecules just as nature intended.
What’s the one product in your line you can’t live without, and why?
Symbiome products were designed to be used as a system consisting of a cleanser, one or more of our Postbiomic Oils, and The One Cream. All of our products work together synergistically, can be mixed and matched and represent our commitment to minimal, clean beauty. The total number of ingredients in the entire product lineup is 18 including water! That said, I confess that I am a bit obsessed with The Renewal Cleanser. It has an amazing sensory experience and leaves the skin feeling soft, smooth, and hydrated. You will notice the difference in your skin the first time you use it!
What is your concern around chemicals in our daily lives?
This is a very serious problem. There has been a massive proliferation of the number and volume of chemicals that were never found anywhere on earth before they were synthesized in laboratories. These are known as xenobiotics and they have found their way into our food, consumer products, building materials and every corner of our environment. The complexity and scope of this global chemistry and toxicology experiment is not just unknown but unknowable. At Symbiome, we believe that we all need to respect our biology and make better decisions both as individuals and as a society.
For a current list of MADE SAFE® certified products from Symbiome, visit this page.