Skin microbiome claims - science versus marketing

Dr Kristin Neumann of MyMicrobiome dissects the trending topic of skin microbiome: what it is, and how the science can match the marketing claims

The microbiome has become accepted as one of main influences on our overall health. This is a positive movement and goes hand in hand with an increasingly health conscious customer. 

It is also clear that our skin harbours a microbiome, in fact it harbours many different microbiomes, and that skin problems are always correlated with an imbalanced skin microbiome. It is no surprise, therefore, that the skin microbiome is a hot topic in personal care.

Yet what is the microbiome? In simple terms, it is the genetic content of all microbes (including bacteria, fungi and viruses) that live in a specific habitat. Thus, the human microbiome is the genetic content of all microbes that live on, and in, the human body. It can be found not only in our intestines, i.e. the gut microbiome, but also in our lungs, reproductive organs, the skin and the scalp. 

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