The skin microbiome — why it is worth knowing

Some mornings, your skin feels soft, calm and completely at ease. On other days, it feels tight after a shower, dry across the cheeks and in need of attention before the day has properly begun.

When skin feels out of balance, it can be tempting to add another product. At SKØN, we believe good skincare begins somewhere else: with an understanding of the skin and everything it already knows how to do.

Skin is alive. It has its own structure, its own protective environment and a remarkable ability to look after us. Part of that environment is the skin microbiome.

You may not often think about it, but there is life on your skin. Right now.

Bacteria, fungi and other microscopic organisms live side by side on its surface. Together, they form part of what we call the skin microbiome: a small, living ecosystem that accompanies us throughout our lives.

It may not immediately sound like something you would want in your skincare routine. But these microorganisms are not dirt to be washed away. They are a natural part of the skin and interact closely with its protective functions.

The microbiome is not the same everywhere, either. A dry cheek offers different conditions from an oilier forehead, just as the skin on your face creates a different environment from the skin on your hands or under your arms. Your microbiome is individual to you, shaped by both your body and the life you lead.

It is something worth remembering in front of the mirror: skin does not need to feel stripped, squeaky clean or tight to be clean. The feeling many of us associate with a thorough cleanse may actually suggest that we have cleansed more than our skin needed.

The skin barrier and the microbiome are different, but closely connected.

The outermost layer of skin includes skin cells and lipids that help retain moisture and protect against external influences. Microorganisms live on and around this layer, interacting with the skin and its immune system in complex ways.

The skin’s naturally slightly acidic environment helps maintain conditions on its surface. Harsh cleansing, very hot water and exfoliating too often can irritate the skin and weaken its barrier, changing the environment in which these microorganisms live.

If your skin becomes irritated, stings or feels tight, a product may be too harsh, unsuitable for your skin or contain something it does not tolerate. Skincare should not have to hurt to work.

You cannot read your microbiome directly in the mirror. Dryness, redness, blemishes and tightness can have many different causes. On their own, they do not tell you exactly what is happening within your skin’s microbiome.

But your skin can let you know when it is uncomfortable. If it often stings after cleansing, suddenly reacts to products it previously tolerated or feels persistently tight and dry, it is worth looking at your routine as a whole.

Perhaps your skin is not asking for another product. Perhaps it needs fewer steps, gentler care and a little more time to settle.

Your skin goes everywhere with you. Out into the cold, indoors into dry central heating, through warm summer days, flights, exercise, sleep and busy periods.

Season, temperature, humidity, sun exposure, our surroundings, age, hormones, medication, hygiene and the products we use can all influence the skin and its microbiome. What we eat can also affect skin more generally, although its relationship with the skin microbiome is complex and cannot be reduced to one simple rule.

There is therefore no reason to expect one skincare routine to work unchanged throughout the year.

The cream that feels just right in September may feel too light in January. And the richer routine your skin enjoys through winter may feel like too much on a warm summer day. Good skincare also means noticing your skin and feeling comfortable making adjustments along the way.

Your routine may have suited you perfectly. Your skin and its surroundings have simply changed.

A good skincare routine should work on more than the days when there is time for a long ritual. It should also make sense on a Tuesday morning when you have ten minutes and your thoughts are already elsewhere.

Start simply: a gentle cleanse as needed. Moisture and care that feel comfortable on the skin. And sun protection when your skin will be exposed to the sun.

Notice how your skin feels after cleansing. If it often stings or feels tight, it may be time to ease back. Introduce new products one at a time, so it is easier to recognise what your skin actually enjoys.

Fragrance-free skincare can be a considered choice if you want to avoid fragrance ingredients. But it is always the complete formulation, and your own skin’s response, that matters.

This respect for the skin’s natural environment is the thinking behind our Repair Microbiome Day Cream.

A fragrance-free day cream for normal, dry and sensitive skin, with plant-derived glycerin, plant oils, vitamin E and Acetyl Heptapeptide-4, the prebiotic peptide known as Fensebiome™.

Plant-derived glycerin helps bind moisture in the skin, while sunflower, grape seed, jojoba and apricot kernel oils provide softening care. The formulation is designed to leave skin feeling hydrated, supple and comfortable, without fragrance.

Apply each morning to clean skin, on its own or after your serum. Follow with sun protection as needed.

For us, skincare means caring for the skin with respect for the living environment already there, rather than trying to wash away everything that lives on it.

This is where nature and science meet: in thoughtful ingredients and formulations that should feel as good on the skin as they sound on paper. Even the most interesting ingredient cannot stand alone. The complete formulation makes the difference.

Pores, fine lines and texture are part of real skin. Your skin does not have to look the same every day, and your routine can leave room for its needs to change.

Perhaps the most valuable thing about getting to know the skin microbiome is that it encourages us to become a little more curious and a little less critical.

What feels good? What do you always come back to? And what does your skin simply not need?

Good skincare does not have to be complicated. It can be a quiet habit you trust. A small moment of care before the day begins.

Care a little more.

Harris-Tryon & Grice: Microbiota and maintenance of skin barrier function, Science (2022) explores the relationship between the skin microbiome and the skin barrier.

Byrd, Belkaid & Segre: The human skin microbiome, Nature Reviews Microbiology (2018) provides a broader introduction to the microorganisms on our skin, their variation and their interactions with the immune system.

These sources discuss skin biology and the microbiome in general. They are not studies of Repair Microbiome Day Cream.