A Guide to Skin Microbiome

Let’s explore what we know about the skin microbiome and how NIOD skin science can help support an optimal environment to support a healthy microbiome, encouraging natural balance for optimized skin that looks and feels healthy.

The skin microbiome is a diverse community of microorganisms that live on the skin’s surface. It’s unique to each person, like a fingerprint, and its composition can vary depending on temperature, humidity, oil levels, location, genetics and even time of day. 

It’s a resilient and intricate ecosystem that’s impossible to understand in its entirety with our current scientific capabilities. We know that encouraging a healthy skin barrier can help to promote a balanced microbial environment that is an essential part of the skin’s protective defences.

Skin is sustained by a continuous process of cellular renewal, in which dead surface cells are shed and replaced by newly formed skin cells beneath. This ongoing turnover helps preserve the skin’s integrity, supporting its natural barrier against water loss. Over time, this renewal process can become less efficient, which can lead to several skin concerns like dullness, texture and uneven tone.

Research shows how a healthy microbiome supports the skin barrier by promoting the production of ceramides and protective peptides, both of which are important for supporting skin’s microbial balance and defences. It suggests that when the skin microbiome is balanced, it helps to regulate the skin’s pH, mitigate oxidative stress and promote repair mechanisms essential for barrier maintenance.¹

The skin microbiome is a highly resilient ecosystem and has good self-recovery rates over the short- and long-term. There are several factors that can temporarily impact the composition of the microbiome, however, it typically recovers to normal levels after a period of time. Some of these temporary factors include:

• Cleanser usage: This can have a positive and negative impact on the skin. Harsh cleansers can disrupt the microbiome temporarily or disrupt the skin barrier which plays an important role to microbiome balance. A gentle cleanser such as Hydro-Ester Cleaning System (HECS) can be beneficial for minimizing barrier disruption. HECS is designed to deliver a thorough, yet hydrating cleanse, restoring skin purity in one minute. It employs a dual approach to both effectively remove external impurities, SPF and makeup, and replenish essential skin lipids to strengthen the skin’s moisture barrier, making it an ideal cleanser for all skin types. 

• Environmental stress: Pollution, UV radiation and external irritants may all have an impact on the skin barrier and its ability to regulate moisture. This is known as transepidermal water loss and can be an objective measurement of skin integrity. When the skin barrier is disrupted, it can affect the normal intrinsic balance of skin, which includes the skin microbiome.

• Sleep and diet: Studies show that sleep loss can increase certain stress signals in the body. This can disrupt the skin’s protective barrier and, in some cases, contribute to visible blemishes on the skin. Dietary imbalance and chronic stress can also impact the appearance of skin. When the barrier is disrupted, the microbiome could be compromised.

With time, our microbiome can experience natural changes, much like any ecosystem in our bodies. Some microbes are associated with collagen modulation, others help protect against free radical damage, and others help moderate stress signals. 

In a recent study, researchers found that changes in the skin microbiome’s composition and how microbial members interact with each other can be associated with the physiological characteristics of accelerated aging. And that those who appear older than their chronological age might have increased microbiome diversity with higher levels of certain bacteria, and lower levels of others, as well as a more fragile network structure.²

So maintaining a healthy microbial balance might help in preserving skin structure and resilience.

This starts with a healthy skin barrier to promote an optimal microbial environment, which can be supported by balancing gentle products with lifestyle changes.

6 ways to support the skin barrier:

• Simplify: Focus on hydration, barrier support and minimal disruption. Also, consider adding Modulating Glucosides (MG), which helps visibly calm irritation and balance the skin’s natural pH.

• Promote balance: Hydration Vaccine (HV) or Multi-Molecular Hyaluronic Complex (MMHC) can help sustain hydration and promote a strong and resilient barrier, to support a healthy microbiome. Maintain overall balance with sleep, stress management and proper nutrition.

• Gentle cleansers: Introduce new actives slowly to help prevent imbalance and use gentle cleansers like HECS that do not disrupt the skin’s protective barrier. Rather than using antimicrobial or aggressive treatments that might unsettle skin and cause disruption.

• Barrier support: Support balance rather than mask surface symptoms, by using formulations designed to work with, not against, the skin, like MG.

• Oil absorption: Flavanone Mud (FM) is a three-phase rinse-off system that targets pore congestion, which can lead to imbalance associated with breakouts.

• Support over time: Focus on listening to your skin. The microbiome is a resilient ecosystem that can recover by itself. Understanding your own skin and personal environment can help you to find the right balance.

What is the skin microbiome and why is it important?

The skin microbiome refers to the living layer of microorganisms that naturally exist on your skin. Rather than being harmful, many of these microbes play an essential role in keeping skin appearing healthy. They have a complex relationship with the skin barrier, which can help maintain hydration while supporting the skin’s natural defences against environmental stressors. When this ecosystem is balanced, your skin might feel and look healthy but if it’s disrupted, the barrier can weaken, making skin more prone to dryness, sensitivity, irritation and breakouts.

How do I know if my microbiome is damaged?

Microbiome can be used quite broadly as a term, and some visible skin issues are actually linked to a compromised skin barrier. When the skin barrier is compromised, water can be lost more rapidly, leaving the skin vulnerable to irritation. Common signs are dryness, flakiness, increased sensitivity and sometimes breakouts. When the barrier is weakened, skin can be less resilient and more reactive, which can affect the balance of the skin microbiome.

What causes skin microbiome imbalance?

In most cases, skin microbial imbalance is associated with medical skin conditions. However, research does show that a weakened skin barrier can also cause disruptions to the skin microbiome. Over-exfoliating, layering too many active ingredients, using harsh cleansers and environmental stressors like pollution, UV exposure and climate changes, can disrupt the skin’s protective layers. High stress levels and lack of sleep can also impair barrier function. When the barrier is compromised, skin loses moisture more easily, which can lead to dryness and breakouts. Supporting the barrier helps to support the skin’s natural microbiome.

How does the microbiome relate to acne and sensitivity?

Sensitivity relates more directly to a compromised skin barrier, developed through environmental stressors and harsh products. The skin can become more reactive and prone to stress, triggering breakouts and heightened sensitivity. Strengthening the skin barrier can help provide a more balanced environment for a more resilient microbiome. Acne is associated with underlying genetic and some lifestyle contributors that can affect several factors that can lead to breakouts. It’s important to seek the right medical solutions for skin conditions like acne. 

How can I restore balance to my skin?

If you have sensitive or reactive skin and want to restore balance, keep your routine simple and focused on barrier support. Prioritize hydration with HV or MMHC and opt for gentle cleansers such as HECS, rather than harsh or antimicrobial treatments that can disrupt the skin. If excess oil is contributing to breakouts, a targeted rinse-off system like FM can help without over-stripping. Support your skin from within with good sleep, stress management and balanced nutrition.

The skin microbiome represents one of the skin’s most critical and least understood systems. By respecting this complex ecosystem in relation to the skin barrier and internal networks, you can help to support the skin holistically. NIOD’s approach reflects this belief: that skin function begins at a microscopic level, and that respecting natural internal processes can help support visibly healthy, strong and resilient skin at every stage of life.

1 Microbiome-Based Interventions for Skin Aging and Barrier Function: A Comprehensive Review, Ji Yeon Hong et al,https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12505367/#B5

2 Skin Microbiome as a Signature of Premature Ageing, Yi-Ning Xu et al, https://academic.oup.com/bjd/article/193/Supplement_2/ii24/8239478