Skin Microbiota

The skin is a complex and dynamic ecosystem. It may act as a physical barrier to prevent the invasion of foreign pathogens, while also providing home for symbiotic bacteria, fungi and viruses. These microbes are known as microbiota. Indeed, the skin microbiota is involved in the maintenance of a healthy cutaneous barrier. Skin and microorganisms live in symbiosis and microorganisms help to maintain the skin barrier, the immune system and limit the growth of pathogenic microorganisms. The imbalance in skin microbiota, called dysbiosis, is related to pathological diseases of the skin, such as acne, psoriasis, and atopic dermatitis.

An increase in scientific investigations into the skin microbiota has inevitably led to the emergence of related studies in the cosmetic industry, which has now become unavoidable in the cosmetic market. The cosmetic ingredients used that are either functional ingredients, such as preservatives, oils and emulsifiers, or active ingredients, impact the skin microbiota and require attention. When developing new ingredients or products, cosmetic companies must undergo studies on skin microbiota to ensure consumers that their products maintain, improve a healthy microbiome, or restore a healthy skin microbiota balance in case of a disturbed microbiome.

Thanks to the expertise in cell and tissue engineering, Creative Bioarray has developed in vitro or ex vivo models suitable for analyzing the interactions between microbiota and skin. Both the effects of compounds or formulations on the development of bacteria and the influence of bacteria on cutaneous response can be evaluated by these models.

• Isolated bacterial culture (Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Cutibacterium acnes, Corynebacterium xerosis …)
• Bacteria on 2D skin models (keratinocytes, fibroblasts, sebocytes, etc.)
• Bacteria on 3D skin models (reconstructed epidermis, etc.)

In addition, we have developed a robust strategy to provide a complete service for demonstrating the real efficacy of beauty products in the context of the microbiome.

• Bacterial viability
• Quantification of bacterial colony (CFU)
• Determination of bacterial load (qPCR)
• Bacterial adhesion on 3D models (quantification of colony, qPCR, radioactivity, SEM)
• Biological response of 2D or 3D models (differentiation, inflammation and immune response)

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