Prof. Christine Lang reports on the microbiome’s impor­tance and mechanism of action
 Munich, 26 November 2021 – What is the skin micro­biome, and how can we strengthen and grow it? Professor Dr Christine Lang, micro­bio­logist at TU Berlin and BELANO medical AG’s Chief Scien­tific Officer covered these issues in her presen­ta­tions at the inter­na­tional trade fair Cosmetics Business in Munich. The lectures are now available online at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVgTVHAxGSk&t=13s and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfcmasDbYRg&t=1s.

Professor Lang empha­sised: “When we talk about the skin micro­biome, we talk about the sum total of all bacteria, fungi, and viruses which populate our skin.” Most of these micro­or­ga­nisms were harmless or even useful for a healthy skin. “They are also important for the skin’s appearance, an aspect we scien­tists only realised during the past decade, having turned our backs on it previously”, Professor Lang continued.

Key Bacterium for Healthy Skin
And yet the skin contained many commensal bacteria which mattered for a healthy skin. As one example for these key bacteria, Staphy­lo­coccus epider­midis was active against pathogen inflammatory bacteria. In addition, it supported the healing of injured skin areas and had an inhibitory effect on tumour cells in the skin (white or light skin cancer).

There was hence no way around seeing the micro­biome as part and parcel of the philo­sophy of every good skincare. Many cosmetics and skincare products remained a long way from this develo­pment. BELANO medical examined several conven­tional skin lotions in the laboratory and found that many lotions inhibit the growth of healthy bacteria on the skin, or even kill them off. “Skincare lotions such as these are able to disba­lance the micro­biome, and with this the healthy skin flora”, empha­sised Professor Lang. “From now on, however, we have to pay far more attention to making sure that skincare or cosmetic products strengthen or protect the skin’s microbiome.”

Clinical Studies Demons­trate Skin Health Impro­vement
A healthy skin micro­biome and the associated diversity of healthy bacteria such as the key bacterium S. epider­midis are able to eliminate inflammatory bacteria, e.g. Staphy­lo­coccus aureus which is present in high concen­tra­tions in atopic eczema and other skin diseases. Hence, the aim was to stabilise the micro­biome. To do so, BELANO medical identified from a large number of bacterial strains a lactic acid bacterium which had exactly this stabi­lising effect.

In clinical studies and in colla­bo­ration with derma­to­lo­gists, the ingre­dient was tested on people suffering from very dry skin, acne, derma­titis, and contact allergic derma­titis, and improved skin health signi­fi­cantly. “There is such a striking visible diffe­rence that even as a micro­bio­logist I find myself impressed”, empha­sised Christine Lang in her lectures. This effect also made it possible to regenerate the skin micro­biome and return it to a medical condition, i.e. turning diseased skin back into healthy skin. “There is always a seamless transition from normal skin to stressed skin to abnormal and diseased skin”, Professor Lang continues.

Natural Ingre­dient as a Ferment of Lactic Acid Bacteria
Using appro­priate micro­biotic cosmetics or medical skincare could also help to prevent or reduce skin ageing. “Some bacteria play a key role in skin regene­ration, they deliver crucial signals into the skin”, explains Christine Lang in her lectures. The identified micro­biotic ingre­dient, prepared as a ferment of lactic acid bacteria, offered a natural way of stimu­lating the growth of these positive, healthy bacteria. “This strain of lactic acid bacteria does not affect S. aureus directly, we rely on Nature instead. We initiate the natural, healthy cycle.”

BELANO medical launched this micro­biotic ingre­dient with its “ibiotics” range of cosmetics and the “ibiotics med” range of medical skincare. It is available to consumers through both direct distri­bution and retail sales, and is offered in private labels and as bulk ware. Develo­pment and manufac­turing do not involve animal testing or animal inputs.