The Impact of Skin Care Products on Skin Chemistry and Microbiome Dynamics

The Impact of Skin Care Products on Skin Chemistry and Microbiome Dynamics

 

The use of personal care products for skin maintenance has always been a prominent topic of discussion, yet the impact that it has on molecular and microbial diversity of skin is largely unexplored. In a recent study, researchers investigated the effects of four common beauty products, facial lotion, moisturizer, foot powder, and deodorant on the susceptibility of skin chemistry and microbiome. 

 

From other scientific findings we can find the association between antiperspirants or makeup and skin microbiota composition. The problem with these findings is that they were performed for a short period of time, typically a week, and without washing out the volunteers’ original personal care routine. This study was conducted on a group of 11 volunteers over a period of 9 weeks to ensure skin turnover, which is about 21 days. During this study, they utilized advanced techniques such as mass spectrometry and 16S rRNA sequencing to analyze changes in both chemical composition and microbial populations on the skin. 

 

This study demonstrated that certain compounds from beauty products used before the study were still detectable on the skin with half-lives ranging from 0.5-1.9 weeks. Each volunteer had different specifics to their personal care routine over the period of multiple weeks. Afterward, their temporal molecular and bacterial diversity in response to personal care use. This data ultimately showed that refraining from beauty products decreased molecular diversity at the face, armpit, arm, and feet, and increased bacterial diversity mainly in the armpits. Body and face lotions appeared to have a minimal impact. 

 

These results revealed that the effects of personal care products on the skin can persist for weeks and vary greatly among individuals. These effects encompass alterations in steroid and archaeal ecosystems. These personalized responses suggest the potential for developing next-generation precision beauty products and therapies for various skin disorders. From this, we can shed light on the complex and individualized interactions between personal care products and the skin, offering valuable insights that could pave the way for innovative skincare products and treatments tailored to an individual’s unique needs and microbial makeup. 

 

Posted by Nicole Matthews (2)

 

The impact of skin care products on skin chemistry and microbiome dynamics. (2019, June 12).

BioMed Central. https://bmcbiol.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12915-019-0660-6

Comments

  1. Megan WinklerOctober 4, 2023 at 6:30 AM

    Hey Nicole - I found this super interesting! I wonder if the increased bacterial diversity seen in some areas is considered a good thing and is an increase in healthy microflora or if its an overgrowth from the continued use and then discontinuing of a product that normally kills off this bacteria. I also wonder what these studies would look like on people/babies who have never used a product. It's interesting that the trial periods weren't very long considering how long term the general persons use of a product is.

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    Replies
    1. AnonymousOctober 9, 2023 at 4:28 PM

      Hi Megan! I totally agree. I would like to see what the results would be from a study done over a longer period of time - like one or two years. Maybe even a larger group of people to perform this study on.
      - Nicole M

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