Protective Probiotics

Traditionally, research into personal care products has focused on understanding their impact on the human body and human cells. Today, it increasingly addresses the importance of the skin microbiome for personal care.

Daily hygiene routines, cosmetic usage, and drug intake can influence the microbiome, while the stability of this ecosystem highly depends on its composition and its balance. In a healthy microbiome, commensal bacteria and fungi live together harmoniously, perfectly adapted to their surroundings. Disturbances in the equilibrium can lead to a sudden overgrowth of specific microorganisms.

The skin is the first line of defence against pathogens. Consequently, special care must be talem of areas that are prone to minor injuries and constantly challenged by microorganisms and putative pathogens from the environment.

Instead of simply analysing which microorganisms live on the human body, it is important to understand the complex and specific interactions of the skin microbiome and how it forms a truly balanced ecosystem.

Composition

Working in close collaboration with a probiotics’ specialist1 a specific Lactobacillus strain for topical applications was identified: Lactobacillus plantarum Heal19. After biofermentation of the Lactobacilli, a special patented processing technology2 includes mild heat treatment and spray drying steps. When checked under the microscope the heat-treated bacteria are still looking like the living ones (figure 1). The appearance of the bacterial structure is not changed by the mild processing and at the same time no living cells (CFU) are found. Because the technology prohibits further bacterial growth while maintaining the bacterial structures, the active ingredient3 (Inci: Maltodextrin, Lactobacillus Ferment) obtained in this way has the advantage of being handled like a traditional cosmetic ingredient delivering probiotic-like skin and scalp health benefits.

Skin care

This probiotic-derived product has been shown to have multiple benefits for skincare application. It supports the skin’s instinctive defences against pathogens by promoting the expression of antimicrobial peptides on the skin (in vitro).

Also, it enhances skin moisture through filaggrin production support and reduces air pollution-induced barrier damage (ex vivo).

An in vivo study was performed with 29 human subjects with extra-dry skin. After seven days of application twice a day of an emulsion containing the active, a significant improvement of skin barrier integrity was observed, as well as a visible reduction of dry skin (figure 2). In addition, the skin dryness appearance was still significantly reduced three days after the last product application, showing a long-term and sustainable positive effect of the product.

Furthermore, the active provides a strengthened healthy environment for the skin microbiome. The experiments confirm that the heat-treated Lactobacillus contained in an emulsion is detectable on human skin after two weeks of bidaily application. However, the skin’s microbiome composition is maintained: neither the biodiversity nor the relative abundances were altered after applying an emulsion containing the active ingredient (figure 3).

Scalp recovery

The major problem in dry dandruff is the dry and impaired scalp barrier that even turns red and causes itching sensation. Dry skin of the scalp might originate from intensive hygiene procedures and sometimes it improves when these habits are reduced, but sometimes additional support is required.

The growing knowledge in micro- and mycobiome research will drive the understanding of the complexity of the scalp ecosystem, which is not simply the sum of the human skin cells, the bacteria, and fungi. Dandruff formation depends on the microbial composition and interaction as well as on external influences like the hosts demographics and physiological conditions.

To test the impact of the active ingredient on dry scalp, a 14-day in vivo study was performed with volunteers suffering from dry sensitive, flaky and itchy scalp. The volunteers washed their scalp and hair every second day using a placebo shampoo or a shampoo containing 0.5 % of the active. The advantage of using it is the low impact on the microbiome. It is not a harsh anti-fungal agent; in contrast it supports the skin just like a probiotic bacterium is expected to. This is reflected in the results of the study showing a reduction of dry dandruff while the microbiome composition is beneficially maintained (figure 4).

The study shows that the ingredient allows to reduce the dry dandruff on the scalp in a sustainable manner, as it supports the scalp and allows the microbiome to develop naturally without any harmful impact.

References:

1 Probi AB, Sweden

2 TrueBiotic, patented technology

3 SymReboot L19