™
Skin Microbiome
​
Your skin has its own natural microbiome — a community of microorganisms that helps support healthy skin.
​
When balanced, it can help support:
-
skin comfort
-
barrier strength
-
overall skin health
When disrupted, skin may become:
-
drier
-
more irritated
-
more reactive
-
slower to recover
This imbalance is often called dysbiosis. Supporting the skin microbiome means helping skin stay calmer, stronger, and healthier over time.
Microbiotics & Postbiotics: A Modern Perspective
​What Are Microbiotics?
​
Microbiotics is a broad term that refers to the study, management, and application of microorganisms and their components in ways that support human health and functional biological systems.
Rather than focusing on live organisms alone, microbiotics encompasses how microbial ecosystems interact with their environment — including host tissues, immune signaling,
and barrier integrity.
​
In skin science, this perspective has shifted attention toward understanding how microbial balance influences skin comfort, resilience, and long-term stability, rather than targeting individual organisms in isolation.
This evolving field emphasizes systems-level balance rather than eradication.​​​
What Are Postbiotics?
​
Postbiotics are inactivated, non-viable microbial cells, cell components, and metabolites that can provide biological benefits without requiring live organisms.
Why Skin Biology Is a Natural Fit ?
​
Skin is not just a surface. It is a living system where the barrier, the microbiome, and the skin’s own immune responses are closely connected.
​
When one part is disturbed, the others can be affected too:
-
Barrier damage can disrupt the skin microbiome
-
Microbiome imbalance can increase irritation and inflammation
-
Ongoing inflammation can weaken the barrier even more
This cycle helps explain why chronic skin issues often involve both barrier damage and microbiome imbalance — and why gentle approaches that support balance, rather than further disruption, are gaining attention.
How Postbiotics May Interact with Skin
​
Postbiotics (Inactivated microbes) can support skin in several ways:
​
-
Help support barrier strength and hydration
-
Support a healthier skin microbiome without disturbing beneficial skin flora
-
Help create a skin environment linked with comfort and stability
-
Offer a non-steroidal option for ongoing maintenance care
These effects are supportive, making this kind of care especially relevant between active treatment phases.
Why Postbiotics Are Different from Traditional Moisturizers
​
​Traditional moisturizers mainly help by softening the skin and locking in moisture. Microbiome-active formulations are designed to do more — supporting not only hydration, but also skin barrier function and the balance of the skin microbiome.
​
That is why this approach is gaining attention in dermocosmetic care, especially for people looking for support beyond basic moisturization.
How This Field Is Evolving​
​
Research continues to explore how inactivated microbial components can be used in topical formulations to support skin health across a range of needs, from dryness and sensitivity to irritation-prone skin.
​
As understanding of the skin microbiome grows, postbiotics are gaining attention as a way to bring microbiology and dermatology closer together — offering a stable, well-tolerated approach that works with the skin ecosystem, not against it.
Selected Reads
Skin Barrier Science
-
Elias PM. (2005). The skin barrier as an innate immune element. Journal of Investigative Dermatology.
-
Proksch E, Brandner JM, Jensen JM. (2008). The skin: an indispensable barrier. Experimental Dermatology.
-
Rawlings AV, Harding CR. (2004). Moisturization and skin barrier function. Dermatologic Therapy.
-
Fluhr JW, Darlenski R, Surber C. (2008). Transepidermal water loss as a key indicator of skin barrier function. Current Problems in Dermatology
Microbiome & Postbiotic Science
​
-
Byrd AL, Belkaid Y, Segre JA. (2018). The human skin microbiome. Nature Reviews Microbiology.
-
Sanford JA, Gallo RL. (2013). Functions of the skin microbiota in health and disease. Seminars in Immunology.
-
Aguilar-Toalá JE et al. (2018). Postbiotics: an evolving term within the functional foods field. Trends in Food Science & Technology.
-
Chen YE, Fischbach MA, Belkaid Y. (2018). Skin microbiota–host interactions. Nature.
Scalp & Facial Microbiome
-
Wang L et al. (2015). The scalp microbiome and its role in dandruff. Scientific Reports.
-
Park T et al. (2017). Characterization of the human scalp microbiome. Journal of Investigative Dermatology.
-
Barnard E et al. (2020). Interplay between bacteria and fungi on the skin. mBio.