Lianna Albrizio, Assistant Editor 09.23.21
In a surefire sign that the beauty industry is determined to overcome the pandemic, members of the New York Chapter of the Society of Cosmetic Chemists (NYSCC) attended the chapter’s first event since March 2020. The daylong conference entitled, “Skin, Hygiene and the Microbiome” drew a sizeable live audience at the Charthouse in Weehawken, NJ, as well as many online viewers who tuned in virtually to watch the proceedings and participate in a Q&A session that followed each presentation.
The seminar was hosted by NYSCC chair Susanna Fernandes of Tri-K Industries along with Sarah de Szalay, Femtec’s research and development director and Aysel Calkap, personal care business development manager of DSM. It offered skin care researchers an opportunity to hear informative lectures about the skin microbiome in-person and virtually.
The lineup of speakers included Dr. Riccardo Sfriso, lead scientist of the skin microbiome of Scientific Affairs Skin Care; Dr. Jason Harcup, global vice president for skin care and research and development at Unilever; Dr. Rainer Simmering, senior scientist of Henkel AG & Co. KGaA; Peter Larson, a phD candidate at the University of Connecticut of the Doctoral Research Jackson Laboratory for Genomic Medicine; and Irina Agro, global account manager at Ashland Global.
Sfriso spoke of the modulation of the skin microbiota (or microorganisms) and the prebiotic effects of an Epilobium fleischeri extract. In detailing the biology of the skin, Sfrisco likened it to an ecosystem with abilities to interface, defend and renew itself. He traced its microbial colonization back to birth.
Specific bacteria populations, he noted, are associated with moist, dry and sebaceous skin sites. Resident flora are few bacteria types, he said, which multiply freely and re-establish after perturbation. Transient flora, a wide-ranging array of microorganisms, he added, arise from the environment and persist from hours to days.
When skin equilibrium is disturbed, the scientific term of which is dysbiosis, resulting skin conditions can include rosacea, atopic dermatitis (eczema), dandruff, aging and acne vulgaris.
The relative abundance of Cutibacterium acnes, or slow-growing, aerotolerant anaerobic, gram-positive bacterium linked to acne, varies from 90% on the forehead, the oiliest site of the face, to 75% on the lateral cheek, the least oily facial site, Sfriso said. Various ecological factors affect the microbiota composition of the skin in different sites of the body from dryness to temperature, oil content, pH and the body’s own personalized immune response.
Epilobium fleischeri extract, also known as Alpine willowherb, contains a medley of polyphenols. It possesses skin-calming and antioxidant benefits enough to significantly reduce sebum production, according to Sfriso.
Environmental stressors like atmospheric pollutants impact the microbes on face and body, and can trigger certain skin conditions, according to Harcup of Unilever, who discussed advances in innovation in the skin microbiome. One intervention strategy is a hydration prebiotic four-in-one multi-cleanser from Murad that helps repair damage.
Another, Living Proof Restore Dry Scalp Treatment, is a dandruff treatment. The color safe, paraben-free, leave-in scalp treatment delivers instant hydration and lasting relief from dry scalp flaking, itching and irritation. Its vitamin B3-based microbiome balancing complex realigns the scalp’s natural ecosystem for lasting relief.
Harcup also recommended Vaseline’s Extremely Dry Skin Rescue, which is formulated with a unique barrier repair complex to strengthen skin’s barrier and is said to heal dry skin in five days.
Simmering of Henkel discussed what is known and unknown about the skin microbiome, including the impact of cosmetic products on the skin microbiome.
“I think it makes more sense to investigate the functionalities of the skin microbiota,” he said. “For this, we need to improve technology.”
He also cautioned against the credibility of some product labels that purport positive changes to the skin microbiome.
“There are several products on the market which claim some kind of impact on the skin microbiome, which do not have any or very, very little evidence that there is any effect,” he noted.
Irina Agro, senior account manager at Ashland, centered her lecture on understanding the possible long-term effects that cosmetic preservatives could have on the healthy skin microbiome. Agro created a body lotion single-inoculation test that used one cocktail of bacteria and another of yeast and molds. Using the forearms of 23 subjects of all ages as a test area (a fairly stable environment on the skin) the lotion was applied twice-daily for 28 days. The study concluded that there was an insignificant difference between the baseline and the three-week swab, and that the preservative blend, which included a mixture of phenoxyethanol and ethylhexylglycerin, protected the product without altering the skin microbiome.
A balanced microbiome, Agro added, contributes to skin health. She added that more research needs to be done to determine whether the microbiome is responsible for better skin health or the skin health is responsible for a healthier microbiome.
“We do see a correlation between a disrupted microbiome and a disrupted skin barrier,” she noted.
Peter Larson, a PhD candidate at the University of Connecticut’s Doctoral Research Jackson Laboratory for Genomic Medicine, discussed engineering the aging skin microbiome in connection with gut health. Gut diversity, he said, increases with age and frailty and is linked to a weaker immune system.
“The skin microbiome in older adults appears to be a major reservoir for pathogens and antimicrobial-resistant factors, particularly in older adults living in health care environments,” said Larson. “In unstable microbiome states, you’re more likely to be colonized by pathogens, but it could be more susceptible to colonization by probiotics.”