Eczema, acne, rosacea, redness… Our skin seems to have never been so reactive to its environment. At the same time, our skincare routines have lengthened considerably: serums, cleansers, exfoliants, targeted active ingredients… Five to ten products are added to our face every morning. However, this approach is not necessarily the one our skin needs.
At the heart of current research, the skin microbiome appears to be a key player in its balance. However, understanding it better means learning to take better care of your skin. Marie Drago, specialist in microbiome science and founder of Gallinée, enlightens us on the essential role of this invisible ecosystem.
True Medical: For years, cosmetics has sought to “clean” the skin more and more. Does the science of the microbiome force us today to completely rethink our relationship with facial hygiene?
Marie Drago: And not just in cosmetics! But actually, the more we understand the skin’s ecosystem, the more we rethink our entire routine, particularly the way we wash. It’s a truly ecological approach. The first step is to preserve what is still alive on your face, and this involves gentler cleansing.
Acne, rosacea, eczema, sensitive skin… To what extent are these problems linked to an imbalance in the skin microbiome and no longer just to hormonal or genetic factors?
This is a very interesting question. These are multifactorial problems, but we now understand that the trigger is always linked to bacteria.
“We humans have always had the same genes and the same hormones for 200,000 years. And yet, the incidence of these diseases has exploded over the past 50 years. This clearly shows that it is our environment that is changing, and in particular our microbiome,” observes Marie Drago.
What does a “healthy” skin microbiome look like today?
Microbiome scientists regularly debate the issue. Science is much better at recognizing disease than health, especially in a science as new as that of the microbiome. The current consensus says that a healthy microbiome is a resilient microbiome, which will be able to withstand all the attacks of modern life (UV, pollution, antibiotics, stress and so on) and regain its shape quickly and sustainably. On the skin, this often requires a good diversity of different bacteria in the microbiome.
Today there are small tests that are quite effective for measuring your skin microbiome. Otherwise, the markers of dysbiosis (the scientific name for an unbalanced microbiome) are seen by its consequences on the skin: inflammation, infection by pathogenic bacteria (that of acne or eczema, for example) and premature aging.
Social media is full of skincare tips and ten-step routines. In your opinion, what actions are most likely to disrupt the balance of the skin microbiome?
Every ingredient in a product has the potential to disrupt a bacteria in the skin, so microbiome science is, by nature, as minimalist as possible. The skin is an advanced ecosystem which, normally, should function on its own, without addition. But modern life damages this system. Surfactants (i.e. cleaning products) are the products that have the most impact on the microbiome, so I always advise using ultra-gentle products with a pH of 5, the preferred pH of your bacteria. Only then can we think about boosting the resident microbiome.
Tomorrow, will we be able to imagine personalized facial treatments based on the microbiome of each individual?
I get asked this question a lot, but to be honest, even if it were industrially possible on a large scale, I’m not sure it would be useful. Each microbiome is different, but the function is the same: control inflammation, repel pathogens, improve the skin barrier. You just need to know how to improve these functions, and you can already do a lot with suitable products.
“It’s the same thing with the intestinal microbiome: we can push the customization, but what works best is still eating a lot of vegetables!” concludes Marie Drago.