Brightening, refining, postbiotic-rich face oil for all skin types / 1 oz 

Symbiome’s Recharge 002 Revitalizing Face Oil is, in a word, magnificent. When we first saw Symbiome’s face oils, we thought, “Do we really need those? We already have so many great face oils on our shelves.”

And we do…but we needed this one, too.

Recharge 002’s blend is built around Pequi Fruit Oil, considered by many to be one of the most rejuvenating and nourishing oils out there. In this case, it’s even more beneficial to the skin due to Symbiome’s proprietary precision-fermentation process, which makes it unusually rich in skin-smoothing postbiotics that provide skin with carotenoids, naturally occurring (non-sensitizing) retinoids, and essential fatty acids. Its combination with collagen- and elastin-supporting Passion Fruit Seed oil and marvelously smooth Buriti Fruit Oil — both oils are also precision-fermented — makes for a beautiful texture that’s excellent for facial massage without the greasiness one would expect from such a nourishing blend.

Recharge 002 is the favorite of Symbiome’s founder, Larry Weiss, who says, “It’s one of the most interesting oils we make due to the complex collection of retinoids in it, and the scent has a citrusy herbaceousness that’s almost impossible to describe. Because of the way these self-regulating retinoids function, you can use it during the day, but it’s especially interesting at night: if you use it on top of a retinoid serum, it’ll minimize the side effects you might typically see because its mix of antagonists and agonists will buffer it.”

To fully appreciate how unusual these fermented oils are, you’ll have to read Dara’s interviews with Larry about his work with the Yanomami tribe in the Amazon and his work with fermented plant oils from their environment. The quick version: Larry sourced his oils after three expeditions to study the members of a disease-free, semi-nomadic tribe in the Amazon that boasted unusually good health, unusually good skin, and as he discovered, a dramatically more diverse microbiome than most of us have.

According to Larry’s research, we’re missing about 80% of the “good bacteria” found on the skin of the Yanomami—bacteria that do very important work. Primarily, they a) provide significant antioxidant protection, and b) help regulate of a broad range of systems in the body that are essential to its health and resilience.

The precision-fermented oils in this formula, sourced from sustainably harvested plants that grow in the tribe’s milieu, are rich in specific postbiotics. They contain the fruits of the labor done by these very busy good bacteria: lipids, phytosterols, and antioxidants that are essential to skin health but that skin often has trouble creating on its own. As Larry noted during his discussions with Dara, these postbiotics provide more predictable and consistent results than probiotics ever could.

This fermentation process also makes for smaller, more lightweight oil molecules that can sink more deeply into the skin without greasiness. Skin feels smoother, brighter, and more resilient.

This vegan, organic formula is free of added fragrance.