INFORMATION ARTICLE

Biotics explained: The difference between probiotics, prebiotics, postbiotics and more

October 19, 2026

Biotics are anything related to living organisms. When discussing nature, the phrase biotic factor might be mentioned. This is in reference to any living thing that affects the environment. From pinecones to people, biotic factors are everywhere.

Using science, we can harness and repurpose biotics in many forms, from probiotics to psychobiotics. Let’s break down each one so you can understand which can help with gut health and which cleans your floor.

What are probiotics?

Probiotics are any bacteria deemed ‘friendly’, meaning they help us in some capacity.¹ Bacteria that live in your gut and consumes fibres that you can’t is considered a friendly probiotic. Most prominently, probiotics often consume other potentially hazardous bacteria.

What are probiotics used for?

Because probiotics are naturally occurring, you might find them in your everyday environments. But scientists can also formulate them for specific uses.

Probiotics to clean

Dyson uses probiotics in Dyson 02 Probiotic Hard floor cleaning solution. Specifically, seven unique strains of Bacillus. These probiotics help clean your hard floors, as well as your machine and rollers. The solution is scented, so it not only removes foul odours by breaking down dirt but replaces them with pleasant floral aromas.

Probiotics in food

Other companies use probiotics in food. These are not the same probiotics as used in floor cleaner. You’ll most commonly find probiotics in fermented food,² like yoghurt. This is because the fermentation process cultivates probiotics. This is, in part, why yoghurts are often advertised as being positive for gut health.

Probiotics as medicine

Some probiotics can be useful for treating conditions. For example, they’ve been used to treat irritable bowel syndrome³ which affects roughly 13 million people in the UK.⁴ With more research and development, there’s a possibility they can have further medical use. However, at the point of writing they’re mostly untested and unconfirmed as medicine.

Probiotic skincare

There is some evidence to suggest that probiotic treatments can be used to help with moisturising your skin, as well as yielding anti-aging effects. For example, a study showed that Lactobacillus plantarum decreased wrinkle depth.⁵

Understanding probiotics

It’s worth noting that just because different things use probiotics, it doesn’t mean those things can be used interchangeably. Floor cleaning solution and medicine are not viable substitutes for one another and should never be considered so.

What are prebiotics?

Prebiotics are food for probiotics. Typically, fibres that humans struggle to digest.⁶ Bacteria feed off these prebiotics, so they have enough energy to spread, replicate and mutate.⁶

What are prebiotics used for?

The use of prebiotics as a supplement can give your internal probiotics the energy needed to fight off bacteria. Because of this, we often use prebiotics in conjunction with probiotics to give them a fighting chance.

What are synbiotics?

Synbiotics are the happy marriage between prebiotics and probiotics. They are essentially substances that contain both.

What are synbiotics used for?

The reason to combine both probiotics and prebiotics is simple. Probiotic medicine that comes with its own energising food source could stand a better chance at surviving contact with the environment and overall success.

What are postbiotics?

Postbiotics are the remnants of the pre and probiotics your body digests. These can also be helpful, as they might take the form of useful vitamins.

What are postbiotics used for?

Like prebiotics, you can often get postbiotics as supplements or medicine. They have been used to successfully treat diarrhoea.⁷ However, postbiotics are less widely known than their contemporaries pre and probiotics.

What are psychobiotics?

Psychobiotics are a type of biotic believed to have an effect on the mind. This is due to the brain/gut axis which states that because of the various jobs the gut does that impact the brain, affecting the gut in the correct manner can trigger a reaction in the brain, such as serotonin production.

What are psychobiotics used for?

Psychobiotics aren’t commonly used but have been used in the treatment for several conditions, as well as supplements.

Bonus – what are antibiotics?

While not biotics, they’re extrinsically linked. Antibiotics are designed to completely destroy bacteria, including biotics.⁸

What are antibiotics used for?

They’re used to purge bacterial infections by completely wiping out any present bacteria.⁸ If you contract a bacterial infection, you’ll likely be prescribed antibiotics as medicine. The strategy normally includes specific dosages for specific windows of time, as to best tackle the bacteria without leaving survivors that could mutate into superbugs.

Superbugs are bacteria that have become increasingly resistant or even immune to certain antibiotics. ⁹ They’re extremely dangerous, as they could cause a powerful sickness with no simple remedy. This is in part why there has been a rise in probiotics, as an alternative, preventative measure.