Lactic acid bacteria are beneficial to human health. Lactic acid bacteria have wide applications in food, cosmetic and medicine industries due to being Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS) and a multitude of therapeutic and functional properties. Previous studies have reported the beneficial effects of lactic acid bacteria, their extracts or ferments on skin health, including improvements in skin conditions and the prevention of skin diseases. Lipoteichoic acid isolated from Lactobacillus plantarum was reported to inhibit melanogenesis in B16F10 melanoma cells. In particular, lipoteichoic acid also exerted anti-photoaging effects on human skin cells by regulating the expression of matrix metalloproteinase- 1. The oral administration of Lactobacillus delbrueckii and other lactic acid bacteria has been reported to inhibit the development of atopic diseases. Additionally, the clinical and histologic evidence indicates that the topical application of lactic acid is effective for depigmentation and improving the surface roughness and mild wrinkling of the skin caused by environmental photo-damage. This review discusses recent findings on the effects of lactic acid bacteria on skin health and their specific applications in skin-whitening cosmetics.

乳酸菌对人体健康有益。乳酸菌由于被普遍认为是安全的（GRAS）且具有多种治疗和功能特性，因此在食品，化妆品和医药行业中得到了广泛的应用。先前的研究报道了乳酸菌，其提取物或发酵物对皮肤健康的有益作用，包括改善皮肤状况和预防皮肤疾病。据报道，从植物乳杆菌中分离出的脂磷壁酸抑制B16F10黑色素瘤细胞中的黑色素生成。特别是，脂磷壁酸还通过调节基质金属蛋白酶-1的表达对人的皮肤细胞发挥抗光老化作用。据报道，德氏乳杆菌和其他乳酸菌的口服给药可抑制特应性疾病的发展。另外，临床和组织学证据表明，乳酸的局部施用对于由环境光损伤引起的色素沉着和改善皮肤的表面粗糙度和轻度皱纹是有效的。这篇评论讨论了关于乳酸菌对皮肤健康的影响及其在美白化妆品中的特殊应用的最新发现。