The buzz surrounding natural ingredients and the microbiome continues to grow within the beauty industry. Burt’s Bees researchers addressed several of these issues when they presented findings related to the skin's composition and the role of nature-based regimens to protect the skin against common environmental stressors at the 24th World Congress of Dermatology (WCD) meeting in Milan last month.
 
“Burt’s Bees has been following the evolving science on the skin microbiome and we wanted to help address the gap in understanding the role of probiotics in skin health,” explained Hemali Gunt, PhD, head of clinical and scientific affairs, Burt’s Bees. “A healthy microbiome is key to skin health and is often disrupted for individuals with certain skin conditions. While the number of skin care products containing probiotics grows, the associated data often lacks in supporting the effectiveness and mechanism of these ingredients beyond the context of the gut.”
 
To begin to better understand the role of probiotic ingredients as they consider consumer innovation, Burt’s Bees partnered with the experts at University of California, Davis to study the ingredients from a safety and efficacy standpoint, according to Gunt.
 
Together, the research detailed the protective abilities of botanical antioxidants in photo-aging and UV protection; the important role that nature-based skin care products may play in improving barrier and decreasing skin sensitivity in highly polluted environments; and evidence pre/probiotics may dually modulate sebum and the skin microbiome. In addition, Burt’s Bees researcher unveiled the first-of-its-kind in vivo study examining lip barrier composition
 
"This promising research helps us better understand how to positively impact and modulate skin health through nature-based ingredients. These ingredient-based studies will help drive understanding of the effects of nature-based ingredients and products on skin health and environmental aggressors such as the sun and pollutants," said Raja K. Sivamani, MD MS AP, Department of Dermatology at the University of California, Davis Medical Center and study investigator.
 
Specifically, Burt's Bees presentations, both podium and poster, at WCD 2019 included:
 
• Nature-Based Skin Care Regimen Improves Skin Barrier Function and Reduces Oxidative Damage in Sensitive Skin Population Exposed to High Pollution; Gunt H et al. The research concludes that products reinforced the skin's epidermal barrier, improved skin hydration and elasticity and protected against oxidative stress, as indicated by reduced carbonyl proteins. Notably, nature-based skin care products may play an important role in decreasing skin sensitivity. In a 4-week clinical study, 60 female subjects with sensitive skin exposed to high pollution were given a twice-daily regimen: 40 were given a natural-based regimen with ingredients like beeswax, witch hazel and botanical anti-inflammatories, and 20 continued a current synthetic regimen. Evaluations, including stinging test, clinical grading, skin hydration, elasticity and barrier function, were completed at baseline and week 4. Results suggest that nature-based regimen was well-tolerated, reinforcing the epidermal barrier and decreasing skin sensitivity.
 
“The nature-based regimen showed significant improvements in skin moisture barrier function, up to 14%, compared with the synthetic-regimen,” explained Gunt, noting that researchers did not measure changes to SC thickness. Furthermore, the nature-based regimen showed significant improvements in skin hydration (up to 10%) and there was a 4.9% improvement in skin elasticity in the nature-based regimen group.
 
“The most interesting part of the data is a 19.5% reduction in number of responders to the sting test in the nature-based regimen group vs. 9.5% in the synthetic regimen group indicated a stronger skin barrier,” she added.
 
According to Gunt, as patients’ environments become increasingly prone to pollutants, the research concludes that the nature-based skin care regimen reinforced the skin’s epidermal barrier, improved skin hydration and elasticity, and protected against oxidative stress.
 
“Notably, nature-based skin care products may play an important role in decreasing skin sensitivity,” she told Happi.

 
• A Clinical Demonstration of the Antioxidant Abilities of a Botanically Based Facial Oil; Gunt H et al. Researchers examined the ability of a nature-based facial oil to decrease oxidative stress, as measured by the development of sunburn cells following exposure to UVB radiation. In an eight-week clinical assessment, a botanically based facial oil reduced erythema and decreased oxidation, demonstrating the antioxidant abilities of the formula, which includes rosehip and evening primrose seed extracts. The decreased sunburn cells suggests that the natural antioxidants serve as electron donors that stabilize the reactive oxygen species created by solar simulated radiation, providing valuable insight regarding the role of a nature-based photoaging prevention.
 
Gunt noted that the composition of the botanical oil is a variety of fixed oils—rosa canina, jojoba seed, borage seed, hazel seed, evening primrose, wheat germ, sunflower seed and soybean seed oils. The efficacy of this product is based on its antioxidant activity and anti-inflammatory activity; therefore, even though the product is not specifically formulated for post-UV treatment, it can be used to soothe skin following UV exposure, according to Gunt. The oil helps decrease the inflammation from skin damage, in this case created by the UV exposure.
 
Zoe D. Draelos, MD, FAAD, consulting professor of dermatology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC and the study’s principal investigator, told Happi that overall, the results demonstrate the ability of a nature-based facial oil to decrease oxidative stress, including a reduction in redness and sunburn cell development following exposure to UVB radiation.
 
“As patients are increasingly aware of the importance of defending against sun damage, a nature-based product may offer complementary benefits to their SPF regimen,” she concluded.

 
• Effect of Topical Skin Care Products on the Structure and Diversity of the Human Skin Microbiome; Gunt H et al. Results suggest that topically applied bacterial extracts, lystates, ferments and prebiotics may modulate the microbiome and have distinctive effects on the skin microbiome and sebum excretion rate, depending on desired skin benefits. In a one-week clinical study (n=30), subjects were treated twice daily with one of four prebiotic or probiotic-containing formulations to determine their impact on desired skin benefits. One formulation increased diversity, while two others did not alter pre-existing diversity but increased sebum excretion.
 
Gunt noted that the gut microbiome has been studied for many years, and that researchers know that the skin is an extension of the gut which plays an important role in skin health. 
 
“Still, for the most part, we can’t confirm which skin bacteria are ‘good,’ and which are ‘bad,’” she told Happi. “Before making topical therapies, we need to learn more about the microbiome, its role in improving skin health, and how it interacts with the entire microbiome ecosystem for an individual.”
 
Gunt explained thatapplied bacterial extracts, lystates, ferments and prebiotics may modulate the microbiome, and have distinctive effects on the skin microbiome and sebum excretion rate, depending on desired skin benefits. Burt’s Bees researchers used the following:
 
• Prebiotic: Polyfructose from chicory root;
• Postbiotic: Bacillus coagulans BC30 ferment;
• Bacterial lysate: Lactococcus lactis lysate; and
• Synbiotic: Prebiotic complex of α-glucooligosaccharides, β-fructooligosaccharides, and inactivated Lactobacillus casei and Lactobacillus acidophilus.
 
“Very modest changes in diversity were seen across all ingredients except the post-biotic, which increased the Shannon index,” observed Gunt. “Sebum excretion rate was mostly unchanged by the treatments, although there was a trend toward an increase with the prebiotic and synbiotic.”
 
According to Sivamani, studies on the skin microbiome need to carefully address how microbiome related interventions affect the skin's microbiome and the lipids.
 
“What our research shows is that you can't just look at one factor of the skin when performing probiotic, prebiotic, and postbiotic studies,” he said. “We need to realize that the skin microbiome and the skin's lipids are in a relationship where they can affect one another and each may be influenced by topical therapies.”
 
A diversified microflora can lead to healthier skin, but what does the increased sebum excretion mean for skin care formulas? Gunt noted that sebum production negatively correlated with bacterial diversity in the low sebum group. This correlation was not significant in a sebum-rich population.
 
“However, knowing that different pre/post/probiotics have different effects on sebum excretion rates, it should be an important consideration to formulators,” she warned. “Ingredients should be thoughtfully chosen based on skin type and other variables to provide maximum benefit to the individual.”
 
Before cosmetic markets become flooded with microbiome skin care formulas, researchers must learn more about the microbiome, its role in improving skin health, and how it interacts with the entire microbiome ecosystem for an individual.
 
“Once we better understand which ingredients are relevant and constructive, for example, probiotics vs. prebiotics, we can then begin to consider stability, which is of course vital to the safety of our products,” she explained.
 
That said, Burt’s Bees Hydrating Overnight Mask, Exfoliating Clay Mask, and Detoxifying Clay Mask all contain prebiotics. Since prebiotics are essentially non-viable food material for the microbiome, the formulas are stable through normal methods. Gunt pointed out that while live strains need to be kept “alive” without preservation (often refrigerated in order to provide stability and effectiveness), prebiotics and postbiotics do not require that special handling.
 
 
• Assessment of the Lip Barrier: Microspectroscopic Confocal Raman Spectroscopy and Macroscopic Biophysical Measurements; Gunt H et al. Researchers note that the lip barrier and structure play an important role as a key visible marker of aging. Yet unlike skin, there has been little research into the biophysical properties and molecular composition of the lips. In a first-of-its-kind in vivo study, these factors, as well as the lip barrier composition of healthy female lips, were examined to better understand water content and other barrier-relevant components. Water content was lowest on the surface but gradually increased when reaching the stratum granulosum border, continuing to increase at great depths.
 
"These data provide valuable information about unexplored areas such as the lip barrier function as well as help to uncover key ingredients based in nature that can reduce erythema, decrease oxidative damage and reinforce the epidermal barrier," said Gunt. "Unlocking the potential of nature-based ingredients to protect skin against oxidative stress, photoaging and skin inflammation offers important insights into the benefit of nature-based regimens for patients."
 
According to Gunt, the World Congress of Dermatology is different from other dermatology meetings Burt’s Bees attends in that it has a largely global audience and there seems to be greater interest in natural products and treatments. She noted that the Congress included many smaller brands with more natural and botanical based products along with more sessions and presentations on naturals at this meeting than at some of the larger US-based meetings.
 
“As the body of research surrounding the safety and efficacy of natural ingredients grows along with the understanding of skin’s composition, dermatologists and patients will continue to be more interested in nature-based regimens,” explained Gunt. “New studies give us the opportunity to understand the benefits of nature through science—driving a new way to think about efficacy and nature-based skin care. Studies such as the ones we presented certainly help move the needle and inform future research, product ideation and formulation. Looking to the future, Burt’s Bees will continue to work to address gaps in skincare science and solve problems for people through the evidence-based power of natural ingredients.”