Skin is the largest organ of the body and is solely responsible for the aesthetic and functional aspects of the human body. Therefore, taking care of it automatically takes the forefront. The transformation of the cosmetic industry from concerns related to not leaving an undesirable impact to having a positive impact on skin has been phenomenal.

Back in the day, consumers used to demand products that must not have any negative effect on their skin. However, now the times have changed and the consumers demand for products that can help not only maintain beautiful and natural looking skin from the outside but also take care of the skin at the cellular level i.e., repairing and rejuvenating it from the inside.

What are Skin Microbiome Modulators?

The aggregation of microorganisms living in or on the human skin (including hair) along with their genomes are contributing to the broader genetic portrait or the metagenome of a human skin ecosystem. Owing to the large number of studies that are significantly been correlated with the involvement of microbiomes in disease manifestation and modulation, the skin microbiome technology has become a highly evolving subject under the precision medicine umbrella.

According to the market intelligence published by BIS Research, the global skin microbiome modulators market was estimated at $541.1 million in 2019 and is projected to showcase a growth of 16.90% during the forecast period, 2020-2030.

The skin microbiome market is expected to grow owing to the factors such as increasing emphasis on microbiome’s potential for human health, increasing entry rate of legacy cosmetic companies in the skin microbiome modulators industry, and decreasing cost of sequencing.

What are different areas where skin microbiome technology can be beneficial?

The rapid expansion of technological expertise in skin microbiome has led to the development of applications catering to a wide variety of fields. Although the primary applications are mainly through the addition of probiotic or prebiotic components to regular skincare products, the skin microbiome modulators market offers immense opportunities to utilize sequencing techniques for addressing specific needs in various disciplines.

The skin microbiome modulator technology can be used for skin care, hair care, and a few other applications. The skin care areas that can be covered include facial care, body care, color cosmetics, and other skin applications.

Consumer concerns toward the sourcing of the various ingredients and materials and the impact of these ingredients on their health in the long run have resulted in the increased demand for natural ingredients.

Chemicals such as cannabidiol continue to be a major player catering to the consumer sentiment. Moreover, the microbial component of the skin has become an area of increasing focus. Increasing consumer knowledge regarding the science related to skin has catapulted the marketability of any product that claims to “be microbiome-friendly” or “have added probiotics and prebiotics”.

An imbalance of the gut microbiome and chronic inflammation has established a direct connection between hair health and the scalp microbiome. The chronic inflammation upgrades the activity of enzyme AR in the scalp, which, in turn, catalyzes the production of DHT. This effectively results in hair loss conditions, in which the immune system perceives hair follicles to be a threat. Thus, conditions such as alopecia areata, cicatricial alopecia, and folliculitis decalvans are studied extensively with the help of experiments leading up to the importance of the human microbiome in hair care. Lastly, applications such as baby care are enforcing growth in the global skin microbiome modulators market.