Kimchi-Derived Postbiotic Shows 1,140% Wrinkle Improvement in Clinical Trial

One capsule a day for 12 weeks. A clinical trial published in Food Science and Biotechnology has put numbers behind what a kimchi-derived postbiotic can do for skin. CJ BIO’s BiomeNrich POST SZ075 is a 100% plant-based ingredient made by fermenting rice germ with Latilactobacillus sakei, the same lactic acid bacterium central to kimchi fermentation. The resulting postbiotic, meaning the bioactive compounds produced during fermentation rather than the live bacteria themselves, was tested against a placebo in 111 participants.

What postbiotics actually are

Probiotics deliver live bacteria to the gut. Postbiotics take a different approach. They use the compounds that bacteria have already produced during fermentation, such as metabolites, short-chain fatty acids, and cell wall fragments. Because these are not living organisms, they remain stable through heat and stomach acid, and their effects tend to be more predictable.

BiomeNrich POST SZ075 specifically harnesses what L. sakei generates when it breaks down rice germ. The result is a shelf-stable, plant-based powder.

Study design

The trial enrolled 111 participants in a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized design over 12 weeks. The treatment group consumed 500mg of BiomeNrich POST SZ075 daily. CJ BIO noted that the ingredient has been validated across multiple research stages, including in vitro, in vivo, and now human clinical data.

Reading the numbers correctly

Every result in this study is a relative comparison to the placebo group. When a metric like “1,140% improvement” appears, it means the gap between what happened in the treatment group versus the placebo group, expressed as a percentage. If the placebo group saw a slight worsening while the treatment group improved, that divergence becomes a large relative number. It does not mean wrinkles literally shrank by a factor of 11.

With that context, here are the findings.

Skin structure:

• Eye wrinkle parameters: 1,140% improvement versus placebo
• Skin elasticity: 614% increase
• Dermal density (the deeper structural layer of skin): 172% increase

Skin barrier:

• Transepidermal water loss (TEWL, the rate at which moisture escapes through skin): 1,872% decrease versus placebo
• Skin roughness: 497% improvement
• Desquamation (excessive shedding of surface skin cells): 280% reduction
• Skin moisture content: 309% increase

The TEWL result is particularly relevant. Lower transepidermal water loss indicates a stronger skin barrier, which means better moisture retention and improved defense against environmental stressors.

The gut-skin connection

This is an oral supplement producing measurable skin changes, which points to the gut-skin axis. The concept is straightforward. When the gut environment improves, systemic inflammation decreases, and that reduced inflammatory load reaches the skin. CJ BIO has stated that this ingredient supports both sleep and skin health, suggesting broader systemic effects mediated through the gut.

The gut-skin axis has been building clinical credibility through research in atopic dermatitis, psoriasis, and acne. This study adds a specific postbiotic ingredient with quantified skin outcomes to that body of evidence.

What to consider

This research was conducted by CJ BIO on its own proprietary ingredient, which is standard for early-stage ingredient validation but worth noting. Independent replication and long-term follow-up data will strengthen the conclusions. The relative improvement percentages are striking, but the actual magnitude of visible skin change may feel more modest than the numbers suggest. If you are already taking skin-focused supplements, check for ingredient overlap before adding a postbiotic to the routine.

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