22 SKIN MICROBIOME
Skin microbiome claims - science versus marketing
Dr Kristin Neumann – MyMicrobiome
The microbiome has become accepted as one of main influences on our overall health. This is a positive movement and goes hand in hand with an increasingly health conscious customer. It is also clear that our skin harbours a
microbiome, in fact it harbours many different microbiomes, and that skin problems are always correlated with an imbalanced skin microbiome. It is no surprise, therefore, that the skin microbiome is a hot topic in personal care. Yet what is the microbiome? In simple
terms, it is the genetic content of all microbes (including bacteria, fungi and viruses) that live in a specific habitat. Thus, the human microbiome is the genetic content of all microbes that live on, and in, the human body. It can be found not only in our intestines, i.e. the gut microbiome, but also in our lungs, reproductive organs, the skin and the scalp.
Running ahead of the science The cosmetics industry is using the microbiome trend for new claims, flooding the market with microbiome-related skincare that promises healthier skin. In many cases, the marketing is running ahead of the science and claims are not scientifically backed. In the past two years, some well-known
beauty brands have had to row back on their claims due to a lack of substantiation.1,2
The reason
for this is the microbiome is not as easy accessible or measurable as other parameters in cosmetics such as wrinkles, pore sizes or hydration. Claims that products improve the skin´s
microbiome are breakthrough claims that would require a high level of evidence to substantiate them.1
This is because the skin microbiome is
highly complex with many layers, with microbes being detected in the dermis, adipose, follicle and epidermis. A product claiming to balance the skin
microbiome ‘should have studies indicating in many subjects, preferably hundreds, how a given…product changes the various layers of microbiota in such a way as to restore and maintain it to what is deemed healthy for everyone. Since it seems highly unlikely that such studies have been performed for most, if any products, claims of balancing the skin microbiome should not be made.’3
Lack of regulation In addition, there is a lack of regulation for microbiome cosmetics. So called pre-, pro- and postbiotics are popular ingredients, and play an
PERSONAL CARE September 2022
increasingly important role in the personal care industry. They are used to formulate microbiome
cosmetics and make the customer assume that the product would nourish and enrich the skin microbiome.2
These ingredients are well known
in the food industry and have been adopted by the cosmetic market. However, they are not regulated and the definitions of pre-, pro- and postbiotics are missing in the cosmetics field. Thus, we have to rely on the definitions found in the food industry.4
The definition for probiotics is ‘live
microorganisms which, when administered in adequate amounts, confer a health benefit on the host’.5
cosmetics. The aforementioned health benefit must
be replaced by cosmetic effect or effect on the skin microbiome. The majority of ‘biotics’ used are known to be beneficial in the gut, yet the mechanism on the skin is unknown or not relevant. However, there is a handful of brands that
have generated good data on specific strains, which show to be beneficial for the skin, such as skin barrier, hydration or inflammation. A study by the US Food and Drug Administration shows how confusing is the market is; it revealed that 90% of so-called probiotics in cosmetics are actually postbiotics, because it is not live microorganisms.6
This is not completely transferable to Regulation-wise, there are some challenges
for live probiotics in cosmetics. Probiotics are not covered in cosmetic regulations and it is still not clear if this type of ingredient is to be categorised as a cosmetic ingredient. Products containing live probiotics must
be safe, should not be contaminated with pathogenic microbes and the probiotics strains must be distinguishable from unwanted contaminations. Besides that, used strains must have a safety profile, which proves non-toxicity or toxification-potential of the strain on the skin.
Another category of microbiome-claiming is based on skipping certain ingredients such as sodium lauryl sulphate, fragrances or certain preservatives, and claiming to be gentle on the microbiome.
This misuse of microbiome claims may result
in a loss in reputation of products claiming microbiome benefits. Bad industry behaviour could even harm products backed with strong scientific evidence. Before discussing scientific meaningful and
possible claims, there is another regulatory challenge, which remains unsolved: the differentiation between a cosmetic and a pharmaceutical. If a product is intended to influence the skin
microbiome, the question is whether the skin microbiome is a part of the body and, therefore, the product has an influence on the body´s physiology. That would mean the product falls
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