By Hilary Metcalfe
For years, I felt like I was fighting a battle with my skin. In my teens it was acne. In my twenties, it was sensitivity so raw that even water stung. After my first daughter was born, I developed postpartum eczema, angry, itchy patches on already fragile skin, even on my eyelids.
The worst part wasn’t the flare-ups themselves, it was how most creams on the market made them worse. “Hydrating” formulas were loaded with synthetic fragrance or alcohols that burned on contact. “Dermatologist-approved” barrier creams often left my skin suffocated but still inflamed. And the “miracle” actives? Far too harsh for hormonally sensitive skin that couldn’t tolerate being pushed harder.
So I teamed up with dermatologists, OB/GYNs, and naturopaths and asked: what if we stopped trying to overpower the skin and instead calmed it and fed the systems it already has? That question became the blueprint for our Prebiotic Face & Body Cream.
The Common Denominator in Skin Conditions: Barrier Dysfunction
Although acne, eczema, postpartum flare-ups, and rosacea look different, they share a root cause: a compromised skin barrier.
Your barrier is made of lipids (ceramides, cholesterol, fatty acids) that act like mortar between skin cells. When it’s intact, it keeps hydration in and irritants out. When it’s compromised, you see:
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In acne: a weakened barrier allows overgrowth of Cutibacterium acnes in clogged pores, triggering inflammation.
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In eczema: barrier lipids like ceramides are deficient, making skin dry, permeable, and more reactive to irritants.
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In postpartum skin: hormonal shifts (falling estrogen, surging cortisol) thin the barrier, reduce natural oils, and disrupt microbial balance.
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In rosacea: barrier dysfunction heightens immune reactivity, leading to redness and stinging.
Once the barrier is weakened, inflammation spirals. The immune system goes into overdrive, further destabilising the microbiome, and so the cycle repeats.
The Microbiome’s Role: From Breakouts to Flare-Ups
Your skin isn’t just thick cells and dermal layers, it’s an ecosystem. Trillions of microbes live on its surface, forming the microbiome. In healthy skin, these microbes:
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Compete with pathogens for space and resources.
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Help regulate immune signalling.
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Break down lipids into nutrients that feed barrier cells.
When the microbiome loses diversity, from harsh cleansers, antibiotics, stress, or hormonal shifts, opportunistic strains take over:
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C. acnes can drive breakouts.
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Staphylococcus aureus is linked to eczema flare-ups.
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Reduced Cutibacterium and Corynebacterium diversity worsens sensitivity and inflammation.
So, acne, eczema, and postpartum skin may look different, but at their root, they’re all conditions of ecological imbalance.
Hormonal Skin: Why It’s Uniquely Fragile
Hormones act as silent architects of the skin. When they swing, skin architecture shifts:
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Oestrogen: stimulates fibroblasts to produce collagen and elastin. A drop (postpartum, perimenopause) means thinner skin, reduced elasticity, and slower healing.
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Progesterone: influences sebum production. Its fall after birth leads to dryness; its fluctuations during cycles can trigger breakouts.
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Cortisol: postpartum stress and lack of sleep raise cortisol, which delays barrier repair and fuels inflammation.
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Androgens: stimulate sebaceous glands. In PCOS or postpartum rebound, excess androgen activity worsens acne.
Postpartum skin is therefore a perfect storm: falling oestrogen and progesterone, rising cortisol, disrupted sleep, and microbial shifts from hospital environments and antibiotics. The result? Redness, dryness, breakouts, and eczema-like patches.
How Prebiotics Support Healing
Unlike harsh actives that push skin harder, prebiotics feed the good microbes that stabilise the ecosystem.
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Inulin & alpha-glucan oligosaccharides: selectively fuel commensal bacteria, helping them outcompete pathogens like S. aureus.
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Beta-glucan: doubles as a prebiotic and anti-inflammatory molecule, binding water, calming redness, and supporting immune regulation.
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Fermented marine extracts (postbiotics): deliver antioxidants, peptides, and metabolites that mimic microbial communication, helping restore balance.
By restoring microbial diversity, prebiotics help break the cycle of barrier dysfunction + inflammation, the common thread in acne, eczema, and hormonal sensitivity.
The Prebiotic Cream I Built for This
Our Prebiotic Face & Body Cream brings this science into a butter-soft formula designed to restore fragile, reactive, or hormonally sensitive skin.
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Prebiotics (inulin + dermal oligosaccharides) → nourish the microbiome and reduce inflammatory overgrowth.
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Hyaluronic acid → hydrates depleted postpartum or menopausal skin by binding water in the dermis.
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Marine peptides & omega-9 fats from sea buckthorn → support collagen and barrier repair where estrogen decline weakens structure.
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Vitamin C & antioxidant botanicals → fight oxidative stress from UV, pollution, and cortisol surges.
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Beta-glucan & squalane → calm redness, hydrate deeply, and restore lipid balance.
OB/GYN-approved, vegan, and packaged sustainably, it’s the product I couldn’t find when I needed it most, so I built it.
Skin Healing Isn’t About Force
When you’ve lived with acne, eczema, or postpartum sensitivity, you learn quickly: there is no “one active” that fixes it all. What your skin actually needs is nourishment, balance, and barrier support.
That’s why prebiotics matter. They don’t silence symptoms; they rebuild resilience. They feed your microbes so they can feed your skin.
I made this cream because I was tired of products that punished my skin when it was already vulnerable. And what I’ve learned is this: true healing comes not from fighting harder, but from working with the biology that’s been there all along.
From acne to eczema, from postpartum to perimenopause, your skin can recover.
ABOUT HILARY
Hilary is the Co-Founder of the SABI, a Holistic Nutritionist, natural, whole foods Chef, product developer and advocate for women getting to know their bodies, cycles and selves better. Born in Los Angeles, California and raised in Baja California, Mexico, she now lives in Los Cabos with her partner Kees, a curly-tailed rescue dog from Curacao, Flint and her rainbow babies Paloma and Bea.
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HORMONAL & PROUD
Created as a brand to help women navigate the toughest moments in pregnancy, childbirth, postpartum — and practically every stage of life, the SABI aims to change the narrative around our hormones from one of taboo, embarrassment and loneliness, to awareness and even pride. Much more than a wellness brand, SABI offers a carefully crafted line of products to carry you through your hormonal journey; a set of rituals, supportive tools, and ancient herbal remedies that have been tested time and again by women and now, backed by medicine. SABI is a blend of science and nature conceived by women who have experienced the joys and deep implications of bringing a child into the world, the pains of a heavy and difficult period, miscarriage and difficulty conceiving
Here is an invitation to get to know your body and its cycles better and to really understand what is going on inside. Learn to use your hormonal cycle to your advantage no matter your stage of life, and know that you can always support and balance your hormone levels. Look for the right sources of information, know that there is help, and know that you’re supported.
DISCLAIMER
The SABI blog and articles are not meant to instruct or advise on medical or health conditions, but to inform. The information and opinions presented here do not substitute professional medical advice or consultations with healthcare professionals for your unique situation.
References
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Byrd, A. L., Belkaid, Y., & Segre, J. A. (2018). The human skin microbiome. Nature Reviews Microbiology, 16(3), 143–155.
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Dreno, B., et al. (2020). Microbiome in healthy skin, update for dermatologists. Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology, 34(12), 2391–2401.
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Kong, H. H., & Segre, J. A. (2017). Skin microbiome: Looking back to move forward. Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 137(5), 964–973.
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Nakatsuji, T., et al. (2017). Antimicrobials from human skin commensal bacteria protect against Staphylococcus aureus and are deficient in atopic dermatitis. Science Translational Medicine, 9(378), eaah4680.
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Affinito, P., et al. (2005). Effects of postmenopausal hypoestrogenism on skin collagen. Maturitas, 50(1), 11–17.
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https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17882679/
Liu, Y., et al. (2022). The role of the skin and gut microbiome in postpartum women: Implications for dermatological care. Frontiers in Microbiology, 13, 873276.
