Janssens-Böcker Ciska, Doberenz Claudia, Monteiro Marta, de Oliveira Ferreira Marta
MedSkin Solutions Dr. Suwelack AG, Billerbeck, Germany.
Inovapotek, Pharmaceutical Research & Development, Porto, Portugal.
Dermatol Ther (Heidelb). 2025 Jan;15(1):141-159. doi: 10.1007/s13555-024-01321-x. Epub 2024 Dec 21.
The human skin acts as a protective barrier against external pathogens and hosts a diverse microbiome consisting of bacteria, fungi, viruses, and archaea. Disruptions to the skin microbiome can impact immune function, leading to inflammatory and autoimmune conditions. The importance of pH for the microbiome is paramount. Cosmetic skincare products interact with the skin microbiome and skin pH, playing a key role in maintaining microbial balance. Research suggests that products with non-physiological pH levels may disrupt the skin microbiota. Our clinical study aimed to evaluate the effects of low-pH cosmetic products (pH < 5) on the skin microbiome, contributing to improved skin health.
The clinical study focused on evaluating the skin microbiome diversity following the application for 28 days of four different low-pH cosmetic products (vitamin C, resveratrol, a collagen mask, and a native algae mask) on the forearms of post-menopausal women with skin pH > 5.5.
The diversity of the natural skin microbiome increased consistently throughout the study, evident in both the untreated area and after the application of the Vitamin C Concentrate, Resveratrol Concentrate, Collagen Mask, and Native Algae Mask, as indicated by Shannon's diversity index. The native algae mask notably reduced the Corynebacterium genus and significantly lowered the pH. The skin pH changes corresponded with microbiota stability.
In conclusion, enhanced diversity of the natural skin microbiome was observed over the study duration. None of the investigational products caused significant disruption to the skin microbiome diversity, as evidenced by the stable Shannon's diversity index and relative abundance of specific genera. Notably, the native algae mask significantly decreased the presence of the opportunistic pathogenic Corynebacterium genus, which is likely attributable to a minor reduction in skin pH following extended product use. The findings suggest that the use of low-pH skincare products, like the native algae mask, do not disrupt skin microbiome diversity and may have the potential to positively impact skin microbiome diversity and health by reducing certain pathogenic microbial populations.
人体皮肤作为抵御外部病原体的保护屏障，拥有由细菌、真菌、病毒和古细菌组成的多样微生物群。皮肤微生物群的破坏会影响免疫功能，导致炎症和自身免疫性疾病。pH值对微生物群至关重要。美容护肤产品与皮肤微生物群和皮肤pH值相互作用，在维持微生物平衡方面发挥关键作用。研究表明，非生理pH值水平的产品可能会破坏皮肤微生物群。我们的临床研究旨在评估低pH值美容产品（pH < 5）对皮肤微生物群的影响，以促进皮肤健康改善。
该临床研究聚焦于评估四种不同低pH值美容产品（维生素C、白藜芦醇、胶原蛋白面膜和天然海藻面膜）在皮肤pH > 5.5的绝经后女性前臂上使用28天后的皮肤微生物群多样性。
整个研究过程中，天然皮肤微生物群的多样性持续增加，这在未处理区域以及使用维生素C浓缩液、白藜芦醇浓缩液、胶原蛋白面膜和天然海藻面膜后均有体现，香农多样性指数表明了这一点。天然海藻面膜显著减少了棒状杆菌属，并显著降低了pH值。皮肤pH值变化与微生物群稳定性相对应。
总之，在研究期间观察到天然皮肤微生物群的多样性增强。研究产品均未对皮肤微生物群多样性造成显著破坏，香农多样性指数和特定属的相对丰度稳定证明了这一点。值得注意的是，天然海藻面膜显著减少了机会性致病棒状杆菌属的存在，这可能归因于长期使用产品后皮肤pH值略有降低。研究结果表明，使用低pH值护肤品，如天然海藻面膜，不会破坏皮肤微生物群多样性，并且可能有潜力通过减少某些致病微生物种群对皮肤微生物群多样性和健康产生积极影响。
