THE SUNDAY TIMES: The beauty of bio: does probiotic skincare work?

  • Catherine O'Neill

Press/Media: Expert comment

Description

“Keeping bacteria alive in a cosmetic cream is hard,” says Dr Catherine O’Neil, senior lecturer in clinical biochemistry in the dermatological sciences research group at the University of Manchester. “Even if it weren’t, we don’t know if it would be safe to apply live bacteria to potentially compromised skin.”

 

Instead, what most of these skincare companies are doing is creating extracts that have the same effects as live bacteria.

“The microbiome changes the skin because molecules in the bacteria send messages to the body. But these signalling molecules can still be present in a ‘dead’ extract,” O’Neil says. “We have found an extract that can strengthen the skin barrier, exclude pathogens and heal skin in the same way the original bacteria can.” Her findings will form the basis of products created by the SkinBio Therapeutics brand in the future.

Period15 Oct 2017

Media contributions

1

Media contributions

  • TitleThe beauty of bio: does probiotic skincare work?
    Media name/outletThe Sunday Times
    Media typeWeb
    Country/TerritoryUnited Kingdom
    Date15/10/17
    Description“Keeping bacteria alive in a cosmetic cream is hard,” says Dr Catherine O’Neil, senior lecturer in clinical biochemistry in the dermatological sciences research group at the University of Manchester. “Even if it weren’t, we don’t know if it would be safe to apply live bacteria to potentially compromised skin.”

    Instead, what most of these skincare companies are doing is creating extracts that have the same effects as live bacteria.
    “The microbiome changes the skin because molecules in the bacteria send messages to the body. But these signalling molecules can still be present in a ‘dead’ extract,” O’Neil says. “We have found an extract that can strengthen the skin barrier, exclude pathogens and heal skin in the same way the original bacteria can.” Her findings will form the basis of products created by the SkinBio Therapeutics brand in the future.
    URLhttps://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/style/the-beauty-of-bio-does-probiotic-skincare-work-cqbkqjfvg
    PersonsCatherine O'Neill

Keywords

  • skin care
  • dermatology
  • beauty products
  • bacteria