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Kate Hudson Says This Serum Is A "Game Changer" For Inflammation

Jamie Schneider
Author:
December 22, 2023
Jamie Schneider
Former Senior Beauty & Lifestyle Editor
By Jamie Schneider
Former Senior Beauty & Lifestyle Editor
Jamie Schneider is the former Senior Beauty Editor at mindbodygreen. She has a B.A. in Organizational Studies and English from the University of Michigan, and her work has appeared in Coveteur, The Chill Times, and Wyld Skincare.
Kate Hudson Symbiome Kit Review
Image by Danny Fujikawa / mbg Creative
December 22, 2023
We carefully vet all products and services featured on mindbodygreen using our commerce guidelines. Our selections are never influenced by the commissions earned from our links.

"I've been using [this] product now for like a couple months," Kate Hudson (yes, the Kate Hudson) tells me over Zoom. "It's pretty new, and the way my skin has changed is wild."

The products in question? Goodies from microbiome-friendly brand Symbiome, which makes every formula with 10 (!) ingredients or less.

Since chatting with the actor and entrepreneur—who has very glowy skin, I should add—for our As of Late series, I've grown more and more curious about her up-and-coming skin care fave—and once she became the creative adviser for the aforementioned beloved brand, my interest got the best of me. I had to know if Symbiome's simple formulas could give me a Hudson-level glow!

I spent the last several weeks testing out Symbiome's Kate's Kit, a curated collection of Hudson's all-time favorite finds. And I hate to break it to you: It's really as good as she says.

Symbiome Kate's Kit

$299
Symbiome Kate's Kit

Why I (+ Hudson) love these formulas 

Before diving into the details, I'll say it upfront. Yes, this is an expensive bundle. A whopping $299 for three products ($100 each, with a little mental math). But each product typically tallies up to $385 on its own, so this kit is technically a better bargain.

Any way you do the math, these formulas are worth the investment. I'd assume Hudson would agree since she praises the brand's commitment to simple, science-backed formulas overall."

"I think that this scientist is really on to something," Hudson says. "He is a microbiome researcher, and I believe that all things start in the microbiome and your gut, but nobody's really talked about how the skin organ also has its own microbiome, and it's so complex."

She is certainly talking to the right audience; we've been writing about the skin microbiome for years, explaining the delicate relationship between your gut, brain, immune system, and skin. 

The scientist she's referring to is skin microbiome expert Larry Weiss, M.D., founder and CEO of Symbiome, who also discussed this area of research on the Clean Beauty School podcast. "He's basically researched an Indigenous tribe for 35 years and [found] the things that a fully formed microbiome has—this particular Indigenous tribe has a fully formed microbiome—so he basically takes those things that come from the environment that we're missing and puts them into his product," Hudson explains.

Jamie using symbiome's The Answer Serum
Image by Jamie Schneider / mbg beauty editor

And what we're missing, it turns out, is actually quite simple—Symbiome's The Answer Serum, for example, contains just six ingredients to transform your skin's health: 

  • Adult Adipose Stem Cell Conditioned Media: The brand calls it a "pro-collagen broth" of essential compounds, like peptides, exosomes, hyaluronic acid, and growth factors. It's derived from healthy human stem cells. 
  • Water: I'll let this one speak for itself. 
  • Lactobacillus ferment: A special postbiotic derived from Lactobacillales, or the "educational" bacteria of the skin. This strain of bacteria actually populates our skin in our youth1 but declines as we age. Its postbiotic, however, helps moisturize the skin and support barrier function.
  • Caesalpinia spinosa gum: A botanical derived from Tara spinosa, a tree native to South America. Its main gig is texture, providing a smooth, luxurious application. 
  • Geranium leaf oil: This essential oil is brimming with terpenoids that calm the skin and dial down inflammation. 
  • Breu resin: Another calming botanical rich in terpenoids that deliver antioxidant protection. It's native to the Amazonian rainforest.

Symbiome's The One Cream has an even simpler INCI list, with just three powerful players: water, the aforementioned postbiotic lactobacillus ferment, and sanoma leaf oil. This fermented oil comes from the leaves of an Amazonian shrub that's rich in lipids, phytosterols, and antioxidants—so it soothes and protects the skin. The Renewal Cleanser also contains sanoma leaf oil, along with seje and xanana fruit oils (other fermented bio oils), glycerin, plus gentle, moisturizing, plant-derived surfactants. 

These three formulas may have pared-back ingredient lists, but don't mistake their simplicity for a lack of efficacy—these products have taken my skin barrier to new heights and made my complexion bouncier than ever before (no exaggeration). I now understand Hudson's hype and, suffice it to say, have fully hopped on board. 

Jamie with symbiome's The Answer Serum
Image by Jamie Schneider / mbg beauty editor

My results 

I tested Kate's Kit for six weeks—the cleanser, the serum, and the moisturizer—and have noticed way more resilient skin. What does this mean? Well, resiliency is the ability to withstand stressors and quickly recover. As Weiss declares on the Clean Beauty School podcast, "It's the ability to bend without breaking." 

For me, this looks like fewer acne flare-ups from hormonal fluctuations—plus faster healing times when I do break out. It also looks like a brighter glow in the dead of winter when I'd usually sport dehydration lines and a dull complexion.

No, my skin is not perfect (whatever that means, anyway!), but it is much more capable of recovery. This ability to bounce back is the cornerstone of healthy skin resilience, and according to Weiss, what we should all be striving for in skin care. 

By strengthening my skin microbiome, I've also tempered overall inflammation. See, the microbiome is the skin's first line of defense, and it provides a protective shield, in addition to communicating with the immune system and keeping the skin balanced. As it keeps environmental aggressors from sneaking their way inside, it helps maintain the structural integrity of the skin, leading to a brighter, firmer glow. 

"Everything we do for our skin is about inflammation, and that is where inflammation begins and ends—in our guts and also in our skin's microbiome," Hudson tells me. "So I think that Symbiome and all the other things [Weiss is] doing are going to be a game changer for skin care." I'd wholeheartedly agree. 

Symbiome Kate's Kit

$299 (was $385)
Symbiome Kate's Kit

The takeaway 

Changing your skin's health for the long haul is a big, bold claim—but trust me when I say that Symbiome earned its praise. The innovative formulas nourish my skin barrier and microbiome so that they can better withstand stressors over time, and physical stress, as we know, is the main culprit for skin aging. I do suggest snagging the $299 bundle if you're able, but you really can't go wrong with any of the individual products in Kate's Kit

"This is the largest organ on our bodies, our skin," Hudson adds. It's only right we treat it with the care it deserves.

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