The cosmetic and personal care industry might have entered a cul-de-sac with the skin microbiome, says Harald van der Hoeven of CLR. Our lack of understanding of the skin microbiome to skin relationship has put us in a position where the most we can claim about a product is that it is ‘microbiome-friendly
The skin microbiome has been in the limelight of the cosmetic industry for about the past five years. Where are we? Has the topic been fully accepted and appreciated by the consumer? How has the cosmetic industry evolved and how have we made the skin microbiome part of our skincare products, the claims we make and the research we are doing?
As anybody will recognize, the skin microbiome had a promising start in the cosmetic industry, but this seems to have come to a stop. As a claim and topic of commercial interest, it has not disappeared, but it has not evolved into an issue that is recognized as important by the average consumer.
The consumer knows that there is something called a microbiome which occupies her body, she understands that there is a difference between ‘good’ and ‘bad’ microbes, and that ‘bad’ microbes play a negative role in some skin concerns, such as dry and atopic skin or skin which is acne-prone. She is also interested in preserving the ‘good’ microbes.
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