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Skin Care Products And Our Microbiome

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Pixabay
Skin care products alter the chemical and bacterial diversity on the skin and have long-lasting effects.

By Patrick James Hibbert 
16 NOV 2019

Our skin serves us many functions. And using a skin care regiment is part of many people’s daily routine. The skin helps regulate body temperature, it’s a reservoir for blood, it protects us from external pathogens, it provides sensations, it excretes and absorbs, and it plays a vital role in vitamin D synthesis. And aside from all of this it has a microbial habitat that is person-specific and varies across the body.

No study has yet tested how susceptible our skin chemistry and microbiomes are to alterations in personal care product use. Scientists have observed altered microbial communities where specific skin care products were present and have theorized that these products were the cause of the change. 

They knew that the lipid components of moisturizers could provide nutrients and promote the growth of lipophilic bacteria such as Staphylococcus and Propionibacterium, yet, more research was needed to gain a better picture of what happens to us after using these products.

So, scientists from San Diego, California; Dusseldorf, Germany; and Ghent, Belgium collaborated to investigate the impact of personal care products on skin chemistry and its microbiome. Their specializations cover all aspects of this research and include mass spectrometry, hematology, clinical immunology, microbiome, bioengineering, computer science, engineering, and pharmacology. After completing their study they published their research in BMC Biology.

They evaluated 4 skin products on 11 volunteers for 9 weeks. The products were a facial lotion, a moisturizer, a foot powder, and a deodorant. They collected skin from 6 males and 5 females in 4 areas of their bodies; their face, arms, armpits, and feet. The volunteers were asked to follow the same personal care routine for the first 6 weeks then refrain from using any personal care products for weeks 1-3 except a mild body wash. 

Then, during weeks 4-6 they were asked to use selected commercial skincare products on specific body parts: a moisturizer on their arm, a sunscreen on their face, an antiperspirant on their armpits, and a soothing powder on their foot. 

Finally, for weeks 7-9 they were asked to return to their normal routine. During this time, the researchers collected and analyzed 2,192 skin samples. 



The results of their study were conclusive. Females had higher molecular diversity at all sites and higher bacterial diversity in their face and armpits compared to males. 

They found that halting deodorant and foot powder use led to a decrease in chemical and bacterial diversity on the armpits and feet. While the use of arm and face lotions had little effect on bacterial communities but increased chemical diversity. 

Their data showed that refraining from using skin care products leads to a significant decrease in molecular diversity at all sites and the compounds in these products remain on the skin for weeks after first use despite daily showering or even swimming. In effect, making their chemical modifications long-term. 

They say re-exposure to skin care product chemicals can occur on mattresses, furniture, and other personal objects. And they note a previous study on tribal people and those in remote villages being found to have very different skin microbial communities because of their limited exposure to skin care products. 

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