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What Is the Importance of Skin Care?

You’ve likely heard many beauty and health influencers and experts tout their best skin care tips, but their recommendations might leave you wondering, “why is skincare so important, really?”. Skin care plays an important role in your overall health and appearance. After all, your skin is the largest organ of your body. Skin care primarily focuses on the delicate areas on your face, neck, and chest, with regimens focused on cleansing, moisturizing, and treating specific conditions. If you want to dive deeper into why skin care is important and how you can make it a priority in your life, we’re here to help. In this article, we’ll break down the importance of skin care and provide helpful tips on how to care for your skin–from wearing sunscreen to prevent skin cancer to how to find quality skin care products. Keep reading or use the links below to learn more.

Why Is Skin Care Important? 3 Main Reasons

4 tips for how to practice proper skin care, how do you find high-quality skin care products.

Why is it important to take care of your skin? There are many reasons why skin care is important, including your health, self-confidence, and preventing future skin problems and even skin cancer .

The importance of skincare

Your skin acts as a barrier to our internal systems that are imperative to our health and well-being. Taking steps to properly care for our skin helps to ensure this important barrier is strong. When the skin is dry or irritated, cracks can occur, which make you more prone to infection. Your skin also plays a vital role in protecting you from the sun and it’s harmful rays. That’s why sunscreen is recommended for adults and kids to wear daily. After all, skin cancer is the most common type of cancer and can occur in people of all ages.

Who doesn’t enjoy looking their best? It’s important to take care of your skin as it helps it look more youthful. As you age, your skin cells regenerate less frequently, which means your skin can start to show signs of aging and lose that jovial radiance. Using high-quality skin care and having skin treatments such as facials help promote clear and glowing skin. When you use good skin care products, you remove dead skin cells that regenerate into new cells that have you looking and feeling your best.

Taking preventive measures with a well-thought-out skin care routine is essential to long-term skin health. This can help you avoid the development of certain conditions and signs of aging, as well as reduce the severity of problems you may already be dealing with. For many years, people believed that prioritizing a consistent skin care regimen with high-quality products was only intended for those with sensitive skin . Not even close. Preventive skin care is for everyone.

Good skin care is important at any age. The skin has strong collagen and elastin production in the first few decades of life, but it decreases. A good skincare routine helps regenerate skin cell production to keep the skin looking and feeling its best throughout your life. Here are four tips on how to practice proper skin care and prioritize the importance of skin care in your daily life.

Using Correct Face-Washing Technique

While you might be thinking, if you’re washing your face, that should be good enough. And while that’s a start, how you wash your face can play a role in not only how it feels and looks, but also what’s happening underneath the skin. That’s why practicing proper face-washing technique is essential. The American Academy of Dermatology Association recommends washing your face no more than twice a day. That said, once a day will suffice for some.

How often to wash your face

When you wash your face:

  • Start by wetting your face with lukewarm water and using your fingertips to apply a gentle, non-abrasive cleanser without alcohol.
  • Rinse with lukewarm water and pat your face dry with a soft towel.
  • Apply a moisturizer after cleansing when the pores are open to lock in hydration.

Note: Using a sponge, washcloth, or any other material may also lead to irritation.

Following Dermatologist Skin Care Recommendations

Dermatologist-recommended skin care includes products and regimens that are generally advisable by a dermatologist. Typically, dermatologists are asked whether they would recommend a certain product to a group of people. A dermatologist can make product recommendations based on your skin type, any skin conditions you have, and your medical history. There are two ways to find dermatologist-recommended skin care products. First, you can visit your own dermatologist for customized recommendations. Second, you can research products that are dermatologist recommendations–some may even feature this on their label or on their product page. During your first visit to a dermatologist, you may undergo a full-body exam where they look for any lesions, moles, or spots. If they find anything suspicious, they may recommend a biopsy. Next, they will give you recommendations and may even suggest some prescription products too.

Woman with hair in towel applying skin care cream to her face

Colorescience skin care products are dermatologist recommended and use only natural botanicals, minerals, and antioxidants like bisabolol . Our skin care treatments include those that cater to specific concerns such as rosacea, dark circles, hyperpigmentation, and more.

Wearing Sunscreen Every Day

Why is skin care important? Because it protects your skin from harmful UV rays. Sun protection is the most important skincare product you can wear daily. Without protecting your skin first, it won’t look its best, no matter what other products you use. People of all ages should wear sunscreen regularly, even young children. Wearing sunscreen every day–and reapplying every two hours–is essential for preventing sun damage, which impacts the overall health of your skin. Some sun care options can provide even greater protection. For example, Colorescience mineral sunscreen gives you an added defense against environmental factors that may irritate or harm your skin, including the effects of blue light from devices and pollution. There are a variety of sunscreen formulas for you to choose from, so you can find one that suits your needs best. You can even find SPF in makeup for added protection.

Customizing Your Skin Care Routine to Your Needs

Don’t underestimate the importance of a skin care routine—the experts don’t. When you’re establishing a skin care routine, you must take your skin type and lifestyle into account. The best skin care routine includes a gentle cleanser, toner, moisturizer, sunscreen, exfoliant, and serum. For oily skin , Colorescience offers products that help reduce shine and balance the skin. Our clinically-tested skincare products are made with botanical extracts, antioxidants, and hyaluronic acid. Layer them for correction and all-day protection. Skincare for sensitive skin from Colorescience uses high-grade ingredients that ensure that sensitive skin is always well-cared for and looking and feeling hydrated. Restore moisture with our dry skin care treatments that help account for lack of hydration. Combination skin types may need to use a variety of our high-quality skin care products for the best skincare routine for their needs. All of that said, your skincare routine may change as you age and even if your skin needs evolve.

Proper Skin Care Steps

Reduce the signs of aging with powerful, clinically tested, and dermatologist-recommended skin care products. Choose ones that are made to promote healthier and younger-looking skin without harmful ingredients. The best thing about high-quality skin care products from Colorescience is that we use safe and natural ingredients, to create treatments that are gentle on all skin types including sensitive skin. There are products to help address a large variety of skin care concerns, including:

  • Dark circles : Improve dark circles and puffiness with Total Eye 3-in-1 Renewal Therapy SPF 35 which also helps address fine lines under and around your eyes.
  • Discoloration or hyperpigmentation : Discoloration like brown spots can be resolved with products like our Even Up® Clinical Pigment Perfector SPF 50 , a mineral-based perfector that evens skin tones and reduces the appearance of discoloration. The non-chemical mineral SPF 50 protection protects against environmental stressors and UVA/UVB damage. Our proprietary LUMIRA Skin Brightening Complex® is clinically tested to treat this skin concern.
  • Redness and Rosacea : Soothe irritated or irritated skin with clinically-tested skin care specifically designed to address redness. The Redness Corrector : All Calm® SPF 50 is a 3-in-1 formula that neutralizes redness and soothes sensitive skin with added sun protection.

Whatever skin condition you’re dealing with, we have mineral-based treatments that can help.

Make Skin Care a Priority & You Won’t Regret It

As you can see, Skin care plays a major role in the appearance and health of your skin. And now that you have a better understanding of why skin care is important, it’s time to make some changes to get on the right track. First things first, you need to think about what conditions you might need to address as well as your lifestyle. Once you have an idea of the types of products you need and want to use, you want to make sure you’re using skin care treatments that are safe and chemical-free. That’s where Colorescience comes in. We value the importance of skin care and create treatments that are designed to cater to your needs. Whether you’re looking for products for dark circles, discoloration, redness, lines, wrinkles, or any other signs of aging, we have a diverse collection of high-quality dermatologist-recommended skin care products for you to try. Revitalize your skin care regimen with Colorescience today.

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Skincare Bootcamp: The Evolving Role of Skincare

Background:.

Although cosmetic procedures have a significant impact on certain aspects of aging, such as deep, wrinkling, sagging, and volume loss, they fail to address the overall quality of the skin.

Daily skincare routines potentially can have a significant long-term impact on the overall quality of a person’s complexion.

By expanding our product knowledge, we can help our patients individualize their at-home skincare routine using effective products and ingredients designed to address their specific skin concern and support the professional care we deliver.

Conclusions:

Here, we discuss the types of products and ingredients suitable for the most common dermatologic concerns, from wrinkling to skin sensitivity, acne to sun damage.

In 1967, the zoologist Desmond Morris 1 declared that “Flawless skin is the most universally desired human feature,” explaining the primordial human need to “advertise” health, well being, and fertility with an even-toned, clear, and radiant complexion. In the quest to achieve perfect skin, consumers of all ages are constantly searching for the “best” skincare products. Whether they shop at drug stores, department stores, or online, consumers are faced with a paradox of choice. They look to their friends, physicians, or favorite bloggers for independent recommendations, often purchasing expensive products that fail to live up to their reputed benefits.

As reported in a market survey conducted in October 2015, 2 consumers perceive that factors such as “regular facial cleansing, lifestyle, sun exposure, diet, and compliance with a daily skin regimen” ranked higher and impacted their skin’s appearance more than “going to a dermatologist or getting professional skincare treatments.” Their observation has merit. Extrinsic aging, which includes ultraviolet exposure, pollution, and lifestyle choices such as smoking, sleeping positions, diet, and daily skincare habits, is estimated to account for 80% of the visible signs of skin aging, 3 , 4 whereas intrinsic aging, which is genetically determined and subject to the influence of one’s overall health, stress level, and propensity to develop skin conditions such as acne, rosacea, or eczema, accounts for only 20%.

The visible results of intrinsic aging of the skin include thinning, atrophy, fine lines, and dryness. 5 By contrast, extrinsic aging manifests as stratum corneum thickening, mottled pigmentation, dullness, dryness, wrinkles, and laxity. 6 A loss of elasticity leads to sagging, whereas a reduction in the rate of epidermal cell turnover causes prolonged wound healing, dryness, an overall dull appearance caused by thinning of the epidermis, and thickening of the stratum corneum. 7 , 8 Complete renewal of the epidermis requires 40 to 60 days in the elderly compared with 28 days in young adults. 9 Dermal collagen fibrils harden, and collagen production decreases on average by 68% by age 80. 10 , 11 An obvious clinical example of intrinsic versus extrinsic aging can be seen by comparing sun-exposed facial skin with the sun-protected skin of the upper inner arm. In most people, these 2 areas of the skin demonstrate profound differences in pigment, texture, tone, sagging, and wrinkling. It should also be noted that inflammation, whether from barrier disruption, allergic reactions, ultraviolet exposure, pollution, or the use of irritating topical products, can accelerate skin aging. 7

Beyond serving as our “billboard” to the world, the principal functions of skin include protection, excretion, secretion, absorption, thermoregulation, pigment production, sensory perception, and the regulation of immunological processes. Age-related physiological changes negatively impact these functions by impairing the skin’s barrier function, decreasing epidermal cell turnover, as well as keratinocyte and fibroblast proliferation, and reducing the vascular network responsible for delivering oxygen and nutrients to the tissues while removing metabolic byproducts. 7 , 12

A plethora of services, from rhytidectomies and blepharoplasties to injections with volumizing fillers, neurotoxins, and laser resurfacing, are the bread and butter of plastic surgery or cosmetic dermatology practices. However, unless we address our patients’ at-home skincare routine as part of our treatment plan, we are missing an opportunity to enhance the results of their cosmetic procedure.

A great starting point is to help our patients pinpoint their primary complexion concern, whether it is acne, discolorations, sun damage, sensitivity, or lines and wrinkles. Daily skincare routines potentially have the most significant long-term impact on the overall quality of a person’s complexion. By expanding our product knowledge, we can help our patients individualize their at-home skincare routine by using effective products that address their specific concern and support the professional care we deliver. As a mirror of our overall well being, healthy youthful-looking skin improves the self-confidence and self-esteem of our patients and enhances their quality of life.

SKINCARE: CURRENT STATE OF PLAY

Skincare products can be composed of either cosmetics or Food and Drug Administration (FDA)–approved actives (this category includes drugs, whether over the counter [OTC] or prescription or even “cosmeceuticals”). According to current FDA regulations, a purely cosmetic product or ingredient is defined by its intended use. In chapter VI of the 1938 Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetics Act, cosmetics are defined as “articles intended to be applied to the human body for cleansing, beautifying, promoting attractiveness, or altering the appearance without affecting the body’s structure or functions.” 13 In contrast, an FDA-approved OTC contains an “active” ingredient capable of altering the structure or function of the skin. The term “cosmeceutical” is an ambiguous marketing term, coined by Dr. Albert Kligman, used to describe cosmetic ingredients that have biologically active ingredients. 14 When used over time, the combination of cosmetics and OTC drugs in a skincare regimen has the potential to produce significant demonstrable benefits.

The perception of youthful, healthy skin stems from a number of features of the epidermis and dermis, including the density and quality of the extracellular matrix, the distribution of cells within connective tissue, the appearance of cornified cells at the skin surface, and variations in skin’s natural fluorescence. 15 – 17 Alterations in skin physiology result in a number of visible skin conditions, including xerosis, acne, and abnormal pigmentation, that impact one’s appearance. A combination of OTC and cosmetic skincare products delivered in a regimen can play a significant role in assisting consumers to restore their skin’s health and beauty.

Because cosmetic products and ingredients have remained mostly unregulated, without the need of FDA premarket approval (with the exception of color additives), the skincare industry has experienced a surge of new ingredients and delivery vehicles over the past 3 decades. This is exemplified by the expanding volume of ingredient monographs added to the International Cosmetic Ingredient Dictionary and Handbook managed by the Personal Care Product Council. 18 Improvements in skincare ingredient technology and advancements in delivery and formulation designs have led to the creation of more effective products, spurring the growth of the U.S. skincare industry from $10.7B in 2005 to $13.8B in 2015. 19

Basic Skincare Needs

Protection, prevention, cleansing, and moisturizing are the key components of an effective skincare routine. Because most sun damage results from everyday, incidental ultraviolet exposure, rather than occasional bursts while on vacation, dermatologists recommend daily use of sunscreens. The most effective active ingredients for blocking out both ultraviolet A and ultraviolet B are either zinc oxide or avobenzone. Categorized as OTC drugs, sunscreens must undergo safety and efficacy testing and meet stringent labeling requirements. 20 No new sunscreen actives have been approved by the FDA since the 1990s, but advancements in formulation chemistry and technology have improved sunscreen esthetics, ease of application, and performance in an effort to encourage consumer compliance. Sunscreen should always be a mandatory final step of every at-home skincare program.

There is a dizzying array of cleansers for removal of makeup, pollution, and excess sebum and moisturizers for hydration and delivery of beneficial ingredients. Some contain FDA-approved active ingredients for restoration of the skin’s barrier function, but most do not. The formula’s vehicle should ideally support a specific skin type (oily, dry, or combination) and enhance the activity of an active ingredient if present. Formulas with similar or identical ingredients do not necessarily perform to the same degree. A formula is unique, like a recipe. The combination of eggs, sugar, flour, and butter, depending on the amount of each ingredient, as well as the mixing and cooking process, can create either a pancake or a soufflé. The same is true when it comes to product formulations, and a misinformed consumer can be fooled by the marketing tactics of competitive products. Clinical testing and before and after photos are your best guide for making specific product recommendations to your patients.

In general, gel-based and bar cleansers are best for oily complexions, whereas cream or lotion-based ones are better for normal to dry skin. Moisturizers supply humectant agents, which draw water into the stratum corneum from the environment and dermis below. Moisturizers also include occlusive agents that act as a barrier to transepidermal water loss. In almost all cases, products contain both humectants, like hyaluronic acid, urea, and allantoin, and occlusives, including petrolatum, mineral oil, and lanolin. Humectants are present in the water phase of a formula; occlusives are in the oil phase. Oil in water formulations tend to be lightweight gels, lotions, and serums and are best suited for normal to dry skin. Water in oil formulations may be ointments or creams and offer superior hydration for dry skin. Recommending the appropriate cleanser, moisturizer, and sunscreen for your patients will depend on their skin type, that is, normal, dry, or oily. The specific FDA-approved active and/or functional cosmetic ingredients that patients should look for in their products will depend on their primary skin condition, concern, or goals, as outlined below.

Improving Texture and Tone

The key attribute of a youthful, healthy-looking complexion is radiance. Radiance is determined by light reflectance from the surface of smooth skin. With age, radiance diminishes as the epidermal cell turnover rate slows down. This results in the buildup of dead keratinocytes in the stratum corneum and follicular ostia, creating the appearance of rough, dry skin, enlarged pores, and poor light reflection.

Exfoliation, through chemical or physical means, is the process of removing excess corneocyte buildup, which in turn stimulates cell turnover, resulting in a more polished, smoother, translucent surface. Over the past 2 decades, exfoliation has gained in popularity because of its almost immediate demonstrable benefits and the ease and variety of available products. 21 , 22

Commonly used chemical exfoliants include glycolic, lactic, and malic acids, known as α-hydroxy acids (AHAs), and salicylic acid, which is a β-hydroxy acid. Concentrations in excess of 10% to 15% in the case of AHA and 2% in β-hydroxy acid require professional administration; however, concentrations below this threshold may be safely used at home on a regular basis. 23 Exfoliating products continue to evolve as manufacturers seek the right balance of ingredients, generally in concentrations ranging from 7% to 10% and buffered to a pH above 3.5, to reduce the risk of burning and irritation. 24 Recent market introductions include polyhydroxy acids, such as lactobionic acid and gluconolactone. Because of their larger molecular size, these acids are better tolerated. They also help to strengthen the skin’s barrier function and serve as antioxidant chelating agents, absorbing free radicals generated by ultraviolet exposure. 21 Mandelic acid is a good choice for gentle exfoliation of sensitive skin. 23 Finally, as our understanding of the relationship between desquamation and hydration advances, new strategies for exfoliation have emerged, including using glycerin to aid desmosomal digestion, thereby promoting keratinocyte desquamation through improved epidermal moisture levels. 25

Physical exfoliation is available for consumers in a wide range of products as an alternative to or in combination with chemical exfoliation; these products include topical cleansing scrubs containing a variety of abrasive solid particulates, mechanical facial brushes, sonicating devices, and mildly abrasive cosmetic tools such as microexfoliating rollers. Physical exfoliation induces an immediate desquamation, which in some cases can produce a temporary disruption of the skin barrier, resulting in increased transepidermal water loss. 26 Such products may not replace the need for professional peels, deep needle rolling, or laser treatments but can be helpful in maintaining visible radiance.

Redensification

Skin that is well protected from extrinsic aging may appear smooth and unblemished, but noticeable changes in contour, firmness, wrinkling, and loss of elasticity will nevertheless emerge with advancing age. Epidermal and dermal thinning, as keratinocyte and fibroblast replication slows, is a manifestation of intrinsic aging, which is further exacerbated by extrinsic factors, most notably ultraviolet exposure. 27 Epidermal thickness decreases by approximately 6.4% per decade 28 ; this is because of decreases in the amount of glycosaminoglycans, hyaluronic acid, collagen, and elastin, resulting in an overall dermal thinning of 6% per decade. 27

A cornerstone prescription therapy since 1969 in the treatment of aging skin has been the topical, synthetic form of vitamin A, tretinoin. The effectiveness of retinoic acid chemistry is derived from binding receptors that modulate the cellular processes of proliferation and differentiation, as well as immune function. The result is a redensification of extracellular constituents through the upregulation of collagen and glucosaminoglycans, leading to improved mechanical firmness and elasticity. 29 In a study published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology , the application of prescription 0.05% tretinoin during a 12-month period resulted in clinical improvement in photoaged skin by stimulation of dermal collagen synthesis and angiogenesis. 30 These benefits often come at a “price”—pruritus, application site irritation, erythema, and peeling are frequent side effects. 29

Nonprescription forms of retinoic acid precursors have given consumers access to this chemical moiety. At identical concentrations, the prescription all-trans retinoic acid is approximately 10 times stronger than the commercially available retinol. Although less effective, retinol has the benefit of low irritation potential when used daily. 31 Retinol is inherently an unstable molecule, making it difficult to retain activity in product formulations. Other less biologically active but more chemically stable forms of vitamin A, such as retinyl-palmitate, are commonly used skincare ingredients, often at low concentrations for the sake of marketing claims.

Progress continues in the creation of novel vitamin A delivery systems and stabilization techniques to allow maximum benefit with minimal side effects. Retinaldehyde, which requires only one enzymatic conversion to metabolize into the active form of vitamin A, is one such example. 32 Studies have demonstrated that retinaldehyde is well tolerated, yielding significant improvement in epidermal thickness and activating markers, such as cellular retinoic acid binding protein type II and keratin-14, which are also activated by retinoic acid. 29 On the horizon are other commercially available derivatives, including hydroxypinacolone retinoate, that similarly promise an effective and easily tolerated form of retinoic acid. 33

New and improved active forms of topical vitamin A provide consumers access to products based on their desired level of efficacy, tolerance for side effects, cost, and convenience. A retinoid-containing product should be included in everyone’s skincare arsenal to address the signs of skin aging.

Managing Sensitivity

Sensitive skin is a self-diagnosed condition. It is estimated that 50% of women and 40% of men view themselves as having sensitive skin to some degree. 34 , 35 They describe their skin as highly reactive, itchy, uncomfortable, red, and dry and that it is exacerbated by the environment (ultraviolet radiation, temperature, and wind), topical medicinal and cosmetic products, pollution, stress, and hormones. 36

Although the exact pathophysiology of sensitive skin is not fully understood, there is evidence that 3 broad areas may be involved: barrier function, inflammation, and sensory nerve abnormalities. The barrier function is compromised in sensitive skin compared with normal skin, 37 allowing allergens and irritants into the skin. 36 , 38 Inflammation ensues, escalating the cycle of sensitivity, damage, and inflammation. The neuropathic origin of sensitive skin may be a result of degeneration of intraepidermal nerve fibers. 39

In treating a patient with sensitive skin, it is important to repair and maintain barrier function and reduce inflammation. Barrier repair is best performed with the delivery of moisture through humectants, such as glycerin and hyaluronic acid, and prevention of transepidermal water loss with the use of barrier molecules, including petrolatum and dimethicone. In addition, natural moisturizing factors, lipid complexes, and ceramides all act to strengthen the skin’s barrier function. Preventing contact with known irritants, allergens, solvents, surfactants, and sensitizing preservatives 40 is also important in allowing the skin to recover. The use of topically applied chamomile has been reported as a beneficial antiinflammatory ingredient to soothe sensitive skin. 41 As a general rule, it is wise to recommend products with a limited number of ingredients.

Maintaining Blemish-free Skin

Acne is a medical condition that undermines a person’s confidence and impacts his/her quality of life. For both teens and adults, acne is stigmatizing. Acne sufferers are often viewed as unhealthy, unattractive, unclean, and unlovable. The spectrum of breakouts ranges from blackheads and an occasional pimple to chronic, widespread nodulocystic lesions, with scarring potential. The darker one’s skin type, the more likely one is to experience postinflammatory hyperpigmentation. These dark marks often last from months to years, frequently causing as much psychological distress as the inflammatory lesion that preceded it.

The role of OTC products in managing mild to moderate breakouts is significant and continues to evolve. OTC medications include salicylic acid (0.5%–5%), benzoyl peroxide (2.5%–10%), and sulfur (3%–10%). The keratolytic activity of salicylic acid helps to unclog pores and exfoliates the stratum corneum. Benzoyl peroxide provides broad-spectrum antimicrobial action against P. acnes without the risk of resistance, and sulfur has a mild inhibitory action on bacteria and modest antiinflammatory benefits.

A meta-analysis comparing the efficacy of a combination prescription medicine containing benzoyl peroxide and clindamycin with that of benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid demonstrated that, at weeks 10 to 12, benzoyl peroxide plus salicylic acid had the best treatment profile for acne vulgaris. 42

Research today suggests that acne is a complex condition involving hyperkeratinization, excessive sebum production, bacterial proliferation, and an inflammatory immune response. 43 Acne is incurable and commonly persists in adult women for more than 20 years. 44 It can be effectively managed with a combination of medicines (OTC and/or prescription) specifically targeting each step of the underlying pathogenesis. The drawback of topical acne medications is the dryness, redness, and irritation they often cause, making daily compliance a challenge. In particular, adult women find that the chronic irritation caused by topical acne medications is at cross-purposes with their desire to address their concerns regarding skin aging.

To ensure patient compliance with a treatment regimen for mild to moderate adult acne, products must be hydrating, be effective, and cause minimal to no irritation. Formulations should be esthetically pleasing, without a medicinal odor, and ideally contain antiaging ingredients. Sulfur is difficult to tolerate in a leave-on product because of its offensive smell. Therefore, sulfur masks left on the skin for 10 to 15 minutes before washing off are a recommended alternative to a leave-on product. Exfoliating cleansers with small grains that mechanically slough off dead cells and unclog pores or those with salicylic acid are worthwhile choices. Benzoyl peroxide at a low strength (2.5%) is generally effective for long-term treatment and prevention of breakouts. Retinoids, either prescription or OTC, offer benefits for acne and aging. Because many acne treatment actives, including retinoids and benzoyl peroxide, are slightly sun sensitizing, daily sunscreen must be used in conjunction with these ingredients and is especially critical to address concerns about skin aging. In acne-prone skin, noncomedogenic, oil-free products with either zinc oxide or avobenzone as an active ingredient are recommended. Topical antioxidants, including resveratrol, quercetin, and cinnamic acid, provide potential benefit for both the inflammatory components of acne and photodamage. 45 , 46 Finding the “best” medicated acne skincare products for an individual depends on their underlying skin type (oily, dry, or combination), disease severity, and the specific secondary issues they wish to treat, including aging, sensitivity, or pigmentation. Recognizing that the majority of patients self-treat their acne, helping your patients select an appropriate regimen will improve their overall appearance and increase their satisfaction with the services you provide. 43 A referral to a board-certified dermatologist is highly recommended for moderate to severe acne. 43

Creating and Maintaining an Even Skin Tone

In many cultures, an even-toned, fair complexion is a prized attribute. Hyperpigmentation, in the form of postinflammatory dark marks, melasma, or solar lentigines, increases the perception of an aged appearance to a greater degree than wrinkles. 47 Subsurface pigmentation creates “dull” skin and a loss of radiance, in the same way that particulates floating in a lake absorb light, blunting light reflection, and causing the water to look “muddy” rather than clear.

Most females deal with dull and unevenly pigmented skin through the application of camouflage (makeup foundation). In-office procedures, such as lasers, peels, or microdermabrasion, are generally effective; however, there is a risk of causing postinflammatory hyperpigmentation. In addition, unless properly counseled about continued sun protection along with the use of skin-brightening products, patients become frustrated when their pigmentation reoccurs.

A topical at-home medicated skincare system is a safe, effective, and low-risk alternative or complement to resurfacing procedures. Used daily, a combination of products containing a prescription or nonprescription strength hydroquinone and retinoids, along with exfoliation and sun protection, generally yields overall lightening of abnormal pigmentation within 8 to 12 weeks. One study concluded that a combination of prescription 4% hydroquinone with 0.3% retinol achieved superior results in comparison to 0.05% tretinoin for improving photo-associated hyperpigmentation. 48

A uniform complexion can be maintained with “brightening” agents that include ingredients like kojic acid, AHAs, licorice root, and water-soluble derivatives of vitamin C, found in a variety of products from cleansers to toners and moisturizers. The development of new cosmetic-grade functional brightening agents, such as hexylresorcinol, pterostilbene, and 1-methylhydantoin-2-imide, is ongoing as cosmetic companies seek well-tolerated, effective alternatives to hydroquinone, the FDA-approved lightener.

CONCLUSIONS

As we grow older, our skin’s inherent antiaging mechanisms diminish: defenses weaken, critical processes slow, and the rate of breakdown of key constituents increases. Although cosmetic procedures have a significant positive impact on specific aspects of aging, such as deep wrinkling, sagging, and volume loss, they do not necessarily address the overall quality of the skin. Recommending an at-home skincare regimen based on your patient’s individual needs is synergistic with the services cosmetic dermatologists and surgeons provide. Clinically proven products, formulated with the right ingredients for a specific skin concern and delivered in an esthetically appealing system, will both maximize the outcome and increase the longevity of benefits from the treatments we provide while empowering the patient to personalize and control their skincare journey.

Presented at the The Cosmetic Bootcamp meeting, Aspen, Colo., July 8-11, 2016.

Disclosure: The authors of this paper all have a relationship with Rodan & Fields, LLC, but none of the company’s products are eluded to, cited, or referred to in this review article. The Article Processing Charge for this proceeding was paid for by Allergan plc, as part of an unrestricted educational grant to support the entire Cosmetic Boot Camp 2016 Supplement. Allergan plc had no involvement in the production, selection, or review of this proceeding supplement.

Cosmetic Bootcamp: PRS Global Open proudly publishes the proceedings from The Cosmetic Bootcamp July 2016 meeting that was held in the St Regis Resort in Aspen, Colorado on July 8-11th, 2016.

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The Year That Skin Care Became a Coping Mechanism

essay about skin care

By Jia Tolentino

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Over the summer, in one of many small, ridiculous attempts to affirm to myself that I will outlive the Trump Administration, I decided to incorporate both retinol and sunscreen into my daily skin-care routine. Both were recommended to me last year by a dermatologist. Retinol is an anti-aging ingredient, and I flinched, a little, fancying myself too young, at twenty-eight, for the Sisyphean hobby of trying to halt the effects of time on one’s body. But I went home and did some research, clicking around various beauty publications while checking the news on my Twitter feed, which every few seconds loaded a fresh batch of disorientation and dread. The Web sites told me that I should have started retinol earlier . I thought about the moment, a few weeks after the election, when I found my first gray hair, and how, soul-wise, several thousand years had passed since then. Skin seemed like a nice controllable project. As it turned out, it both was and was not.

In recent years, the concept of skin care—specifically, of skin care as a phenomenon that invites unlimited expenditures of money, strategy, and time—has exploded kaleidoscopically. The Korean beauty industry has popularized, globally, the idea of a nightly ten-step program. (For example: cleanse, double cleanse, exfoliate, tone, spray yourself with “essence,” use an “ampoule,” apply a sheet mask, add eye cream, moisturize, moisturize again.) The invention of selfie-friendly sheet masks —individually packaged pieces of fabric that are soaked in serum and look ridiculous when applied—has ushered in a per-use price point. (They run from a few bucks to an astonishing twenty dollars each.) Before my recent deep dive, I’d thought of myself as fluent in beauty products: I am vain and from Texas, and also a former women’s-media editor. But the ingredients I knew about—vitamins, antioxidants, acids—now inhabit a climate of techno-surrealism: there are products with donkey milk, snail slime, placenta cream, pig collagen; there are face helmets that blast you with infrared light. I started lightly spiralling. I followed one tweet to a Sunday Riley lactic-acid serum that cost a hundred and sixty dollars, another to a Shiseido essence (a sort of very special water) that cost one-eighty. The New York home page recommended a cleanser that made your dead skin cells come off like eraser scraps. I bought it, along with a bunch of other stuff, unsure if I was buying skin care or a psychological safety blanket, or how much of a difference between the two there really is.

When my skin feels good, I feel happy: my skin is a miraculous six-pound organ that keeps my blood and muscle from spilling all over the C train, and I’d like to treat it well. At the same time, it’s impossible to ignore that the animating idea of the beauty industry is that women should always be working to look better, and that means, in our culture, that we should always be working to look as young as possible—shielding ourselves from what Susan Sontag , in her essay “The Double Standard of Aging,” calls the “humiliating process of gradual sexual disqualification.” The beauty industry functions partly by solving a “crisis of the imagination,” as Sontag puts it—the ambient fear that you will be less beautiful in the future, and that some obscure but awful consequences might result. This fear is both artificially imposed and pragmatic: as long as women are broadly objectified, beauty will function as value, and its absence as lack.

As feminist discourse has gone mainstream, the beauty industry has tried to cover some of its tracks. At the Times Magazine, Amanda Hess recently wrote about how the term “anti-aging” is going out of fashion : instead of youthfulness, advertisers promise radiance. This is not a revision of beauty standards, Hess observed: it’s a rebranding, in which “young” is positioned as a synonym for “natural,” despite the fact that nothing is more natural than getting old. Something similar is going on today with a certain popular beauty look, which we might label “Instagram model.” The look evokes both nakedness and airbrushing and is made possible by technology. A lot of the work formerly performed by makeup has been redirected into products and procedures—eyelash extensions, micro-current facials, injections of all kinds—leading to, and prompted by, an aesthetic of militant naturalness surrounded by an unambiguous aura of money and work. It’s a regime posing as a regimen. “Rules of taste enforce structures of power,” Sontag wrote. The beauty industry runs on its ability to redefine “natural” at increasingly higher prices.

At the same time, the Internet’s destabilizing and democratizing tendencies have transformed the industry. I wrote to Alexis Swerdloff, the editor of New York’s The Strategist, which offers highly edited shopping guides; she pointed out that cheap, formerly hard-to-access Asian brands are now available online, and that women are increasingly looking to sources like Reddit for product recommendations, “which makes everything feel less force-fed to you by Big Beauty.” (A particularly popular post on The Strategist this year was written by Rio Viera-Newton, a nonprofessional enthusiast who detailed the Google doc she kept about her skin-care routine.) There’s also something perversely, unexpectedly hopeful about skin care in today’s political context. Traditionally, skin care represents an attempt to deny the inevitability of the future. For me, right now, it functions as part of a basic dream in which the future simply exists . I recently wrote about the embattled millennial generation , whose members overwhelmingly do not believe that we will receive the Social Security benefits that we are paying for, and for whom conversations about having children commonly invoke fears of climate destruction and violent nationalism and nuclear war. I wonder if women my age are less afraid of looking older than we are of the possibility that there will be no functional world to look old in. Sontag wrote, about anti-aging, “The collapse of the project is only a matter of time.” At the moment, that thought applies much more broadly.

The idea of beauty as a site of resistance rather than capitulation is often traced back to Audre Lorde, who, in 1988, wrote, “Caring for myself is not an act of self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare.” The context for these words is Lorde’s fight against liver cancer as well as the intersectional politics that she theorized as a black lesbian feminist. But her thought, in a much diluted iteration, has led to the popular idea of “ self-care ,” in which there is moral and political utility in relaxing with your sheet mask. And there can be—although it’s up to us to reframe beauty as the means to something, rather than, as the market would have it, an end in itself. “I think a lot about beauty as propaganda for a success story,” the writer Arabelle Sicardi wrote to me in an e-mail. “We want to be able to not have our suffering visible.” Beauty is a tool that tends to serve those in power, she wrote, and, at the same time, it fundamentally involves acts of witnessing the body, helping it to endure its conditions. This paradox becomes clearer to me each night, patting my face with serums while looking one-eyed at Twitter, using these apparatuses of self-loathing in an attempt to pronounce some form of love.

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Where Millennials Come From

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A Fever Dream at Beautycon

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Skin Care Essay Example

📌Category: ,
📌Words: 492
📌Pages: 2
📌Published: 24 June 2021

When starting into the skin care  world, the one thing you should always remember is less is more. You don’t need a 9 step routine, especially in the morning. The 2 main purposes of a morning skin care  routine are 1. Wash off all nighttime products and 2. Protect your skin for the day. You should also remember that not one product suits everybody. The state of your skin will depend on the products you should use. Here are the key steps in a morning skin care  routine for someone with dry or oily skin.

The first step to a good skin care  routine is always a cleanser. In the morning a gentle cleanser is best, especially for dry skin. If your skin is extremely dry, cleansing with water would work fine. Follow the directions on the back of the bottle on how to apply the cleanser, then gently wash it off with water or a washcloth.

Next you should treat your skin, think of something you would like to change within your skin. As a person with dry skin you may want to add moisture to your skin. A great product for this is a hyaluronic acid serum. Hyaluronic takes moisture from the air and directs it to your skin. In a serum form, hyaluronic acid can be very gentle and effective.

Now you should use a moisturizer. Something light can suffice in the morning, especially if you're using sunscreen.

The final step is sunscreen. Now as I said this is a basic morning routine, but no matter how many products you use, you must always use sunscreen and it should always be the last step. No matter how good a skin care  routine is, it’s nothing without sunscreen.

Similar to a dry skin routine, the first step is a cleanser. However with oily skin, using only water is not as beneficial or effective to treating any problems that result from oiliness. A gentle or treatment cleanser is best for the morning, just always remember that the point of a morning cleanse is to take off night time products. 

Next you should use a treatment. A niacinamide or vitamin C serum is definitely the way to go. They get rid of any dark spots and reduce oiliness.

Now you should use a spot treatment. With oiliness usually comes clogged pores which cause acne. A spot treatment is an effective way to only treat a particular areo on the face. Look for products with salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide for an effective treatment.

Finally, finish with sunscreen. Use one that is oil free and lightweight, this will decrease the feeling of oil on your face. You could also use a sunscreen, moisturizer combination product if that is what feels best.

As for normal skin, you have it lucky. You can basically use whatever products you want. You also have the luxury of treating other concerns such as fine lines and dark circles because you have no larger issues. Although you are more ‘free’ when it comes to choosing products, make sure you still use a minimalist routine, because when it comes to skin care , less is more.

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Home — Essay Samples — Nursing & Health — Skin — Skin Care: Personal Experience and Reflections

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Skin Care: Personal Experience and Reflections

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  • Personal Essay

How Working From Home These Last 16 Months Has Saved My Skin

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For the last 16 months, like most people, I've been working from home during the pandemic. There have been downsides to that, of course, like increased stress and loneliness. There's nothing that can make you feel lost quite like the unknown , and I think a lot of us have felt like that.

But there have also been upsides, like saving time and money on commuting to work, not having to spend time with that coworker you're not a fan of, and being able to eat more healthily at home. Another unexpected benefit that I've found from WFH is that my skin has been in the best condition it's ever been in my adult life.

I'm someone who's struggled with their skin far more as an adult than I ever did as a teenager. Hormonal breakouts , dryness, congestion, hyperpigmentation — the works. While working from home, I've finally managed to make the changes to my skin I've been chasing for years. It glows and has minimal breakouts, and I experience zero congestion.

In my opinion, the main things that have made a big difference to my skin have been:

  • Skipping makeup most days thanks to the camera-off option on Zoom.
  • Actually having the time, energy, and mental space to build up a proper skin-care routine , try new products, and be consistent. No waking up too late to do my routine or being too tired to cleanse properly.
  • Eating healthier foods and having time to make exercise a priority rather than a chore to fit around long working days and a commute.
  • Less stress and fewer cortisol spikes. It sounds weird since the pandemic has been so stressful, but working from home allowed me to stick to a working pattern and really switch off from work during my breaks, as well as get to go outside during those breaks.
  • A proper sleep routine and waking up naturally each day.
  • A consistent environment. No jumping from meeting rooms with air conditioning to overheated offices to the outdoors.

As a freelance writer (a decision I made during the pandemic), I'm lucky that I don't have to return to the office, but if I did — and I know this is a big topic for discussion at the moment — I'd be pretty gutted for my skin. Working from home has made a huge difference in my life on many levels, and not having to worry about my skin is a big one for me.

Prepandemic, I'd never have gone outside with no makeup on, but now I find wearing it a chore. The freedom to go bare-faced has improved my confidence and completely changed how I feel about my skin. I'm no longer hiding or worrying about the way I look, and I use makeup to enhance rather than hide when I do wear it.

For anyone who is returning to the office, my biggest advice is to try to keep up as many good habits that you've built during WFH. Make time for them, especially the ones that make you feel great and improve your life. Building a routine is half the battle, so keep on making time for yourself — if we've learned anything in the last 16 months, it should be that our health matters and being kind to ourselves is so important.

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Sun tanning is the darkening of the skin caused by exposure to UV radiation from sunlight or artificial sources such as tanning beds. This natural response is more common in individuals with fair skin, but prolonged exposure can lead to sunburn. The darkening of the skin caused by UV radiation occurs due to two mechanisms. […]

History Olay is an American skin care line. It is one of Procter & Gamble’s multi-billion dollar brands. For the 2009 fiscal year ended June 30, Olay accounted for an estimated $2. 8 billion of P’s $79 billion in revenue. Olay originated in South Africa as Oil of Olay. Graham Wulff (1916-2008),[1] an ex-Unilever chemist […]

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Millennial Skin Care: Marketing Essay

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Introduction

Characteristics of the trend, origins of the trend, where and whom the trend is affecting, implications of the trend, likely future development and growth, reference list.

Changing demographics have affected consumer purchasing behaviors in different economic sectors (Hellsten & Kulle 2017). New trends and interests among young buyers have also forced companies to adapt to new tastes and preferences in product development and marketing. This trend is especially true in the cosmetics and skincare industry, which has been influenced by a rise in the demand for authentic and safe products (Lee 2018). This marketing report highlights the key features of this trend with the goal of understanding its implications on the cosmetics and skincare industry. The information is mainly descriptive in nature, and it explains the origins of the trend, its characteristics, affected parties, and its implications on the industry. These pieces of information will eventually be used to predict the future of the movement on the growth and development of the skincare industry.

This analysis is not only valuable for understanding changes in the skincare industry but also vital in reviewing existing opportunities to meet consumer tastes and preferences in the industry. Implementing some of the recommendations of this report could also increase corporate revenue because satisfied customers are loyal clients. In other words, the findings of this study may be helpful to both cosmetic companies and consumers of beauty products because they aid in identifying a compromise between them.

The global skincare market is experiencing changes in consumer taste and preferences because there is a demand for honest and transparent marketing from younger clients (Hellsten & Kulle 2017). Notably, this trend has been advanced by millennials, who are typically people who were born between 1982 and 1997 (Hellsten & Kulle 2017).

Consequently, legacy skincare brands are increasingly repositioning their brands to align with this trend. For example, in 2017, one of the world’s most iconic beauty brands (Allure) announced that it would change the marketing slogan for its beauty brands from an “anti-aging” focus to one that appreciates the different stages of aging (Lee 2018).

In the United States (US), the trend has been gaining momentum because emerging beauty brands, such as Glossier and Milk Makeup, are also replicating the same marketing philosophy by embracing authentic marketing techniques to appeal to a young demographic that values “real” marketing campaigns, as opposed to sensational ones (Del Ruson 2018). Strivectin is another company that has changed its product marketing strategy by moving away from unrelated television campaigns about skincare to more authentic Instagram posts (Modern Salon 2017). Part of the shift has been the replacement of terms, such as “anti-aging” with more authentic ones like “age better” (Modern Salon 2017). The origins of this trend are discussed below.

Advancements in media and technology have been the leading causes of the demand for authentic marketing among millennials (Hellsten & Kulle 2017). Mainly, the growth of social media and the popularity of the smartphone has provided a new set of infrastructure, which companies could use to reach their target market (Smith 2018). Consumers have more power than companies to dictate the agenda in these platforms because they define the raw materials that should be used in their products through the demand for increased accountability and safety in product development (Sharon 2016). The need for authentic products has also improved on this platform, and it is informed by the power that consumers have on virtual sites and social groups (Abidin 2016). Furthermore, social media has created a platform where people could meet and discuss significant issues about their lives (Schwemmer & Ziewiecki 2018). This trend affects the goods they want to buy and, more particularly, the beauty products they apply to their skin.

Broadly, social media has directed the attention of young buyers towards specific ideas or agendas about authenticity in marketing (Boateng & Okoe 2015). The push for authentic marketing has also been informed by advances in technology, which had equipped consumers with the skills needed to interrogate marketing campaigns more effectively than they did when they were only advertised on television (Hellsten & Kulle 2017). Stated differently, the opaqueness of television advertisements in the pre-social media age gave consumers minimal options on how to interrogate or review their purchases. Therefore, they consumed advertisement campaigns as packaged. Nonetheless, the social media age has changed this trend and transferred the power back to the consumers to dictate the marketing narrative around beauty product marketing (Bartoletti & Faccioli 2016). Therefore, the origin of the current trend for authentic marketing is social media advancement.

The trend highlighted above is global in nature (Junaid et al., 2013). However, countries that have substantial social media activities are the most affected for the reasons highlighted above. Therefore, many developing countries, which have educated youthful demographics, are witnessing the highest demand for better products (Mcaulay 2017). Companies are mostly affected by this trend because it is targeting their production processes (Junaid et al., 2013). Stated differently, the demand for authentic beauty products is aimed at increasing the pressure on beauty companies to make better quality products that appeal to current consumer trends. Therefore, these companies have to rethink their product design processes and similar value addition strategies to meet this demand. Government agencies and regulators are also affected by the trend because there is an increased need for better regulatory control by these agencies to protect consumers from false or misleading advertisements and defective products (Mcaulay 2017). Collectively, these developments are designed to empower consumers to have more control over the manufacturing and production of beauty products.

The demand for authentic beauty products in the cosmetic industry has created fear and mistrust among consumers about the chemicals used in their manufacture (Chan, Chalupka & Barrett 2015; Wischhover 2018). This outcome has been fuelled by increased consumer education about global corporate practices, which have in the past not appealed to consumer interests (Chan, Chalupka & Barrett 2015; Wischhover 2018). Therefore, clients for cosmetic products are increasingly aware of the extent that companies could go to make a profit at the expense of their health (Wischhover 2018). Therefore, many young people are keen to make sure that such practices are discouraged (Wischhover 2018). Mistrust and fear have been the outcomes of this trend.

Another effect of the trend is increased regulatory oversight. This outcome has been advanced by cosmetic companies, which are concerned by the increase in the number of cases of copyright infringements and counterfeiting (Bartoletti & Faccioli 2016). Other firms are alarmed by the high rates of misleading advertisements, which are developed by competitors who claim that their products have superior qualities that outwit their rivals (Bartoletti & Faccioli 2016). In reality, these claims cannot be substantiated. Without proper regulatory control, companies that are engaging in authentic advertising are losing businesses to those that develop false advertisements to satisfy the growing demand for organic and original beauty products (Chan, Chalupka & Barrett 2015; Wischhover 2018). Therefore, the analyzed trend has an effect on the competitive landscape of the cosmetics industry.

The demand for more authentic advertisements and beauty products is likely to evolve into a more significant push for more transparency incorporate advertising and marketing. In this regard, there could be an increased push by consumers to demand more information from beauty companies about the raw materials they use to make their products and the nature of the practices they engage in to support their global distribution strategies. In addition, there could be more legal developments in regulation to eliminate the confusion that exists in the industry regarding the use of specific marketing terms such as “clean” and “natural” (Bartoletti & Faccioli 2016). This trend may increase the development of product safety standards in the beauty and cosmetics industry (ET Contributors 2017). They are also similar to the revolution in the food and beverage industry, which has been characterized by strong demand for organic foods.

This marketing trend report has shown that there is a growing demand by millennials for authentic advertising and safe beauty products. The skincare industry is particularly affected, and companies in this sector are adjusting to this trend by abandoning the anti-aging brand philosophy for a more genuine and relatable concept of appreciating the beauty of each stage in life. This trend has been informed by the growth and development of social media marketing because it has given consumers more power to demand better products from skincare companies. Increased consumer education has also contributed to this trend because younger demographics are wary about the effects of the products they use on their bodies. This trend has had an impact on the skincare industry because it has increased fear and fuelled mistrust between consumers and companies. In addition, it has intensified the push for better regulatory control in the industry. In the future, it may change how companies manufacture their products or force policymakers to update their policies for better regulatory authority.

Abidin, C 2016, ‘Aren’t these just young, rich women doing vain things online?: influencer selfies as subversive frivolity’, Social Media and Society, vol. 2, no. 2, pp. 1-10.

Bartoletti, R & Faccioli, F 2016, ‘Public engagement, local policies, and citizens’ participation: an Italian case study of civic collaboration,’ Social Media and Society, vol. 2, no. 3, pp. 1-10.

Boateng, H & Okoe, AF 2015, ‘Determinants of consumers’ attitude towards social media advertising, Journal of Creative Communications, vol. 10, no. 3, pp. 248-258.

Chan, LM, Chalupka, SM & Barrett, R 2015, ‘Female college student awareness of exposures to environmental toxins in personal care products and their effect on preconception health,’ Workplace Health & Safety, vol. 63, no. 2, pp. 64-70.

Del Ruson, M 2018, The minimalist’s guide to makeup , Web.

ET Contributors 2017, ‘How natural beauty brands are wooing Indian millennial [fashion / cosmetics / jewellery]’ , Economic Times, Web.

Hellsten, J & Kulle, J 2017, The beauty of brand loyalty , Web.

Junaid, AB, Nasreen, R, Ahmed, F & Hamdard, J 2013, ‘A study on the purchase behavior and cosmetic consumption pattern among young females in Delhi and NCR’, Journal of Social and Development Sciences, vol. 4, no. 5, pp. 205-211.

Lee, M 2018, Editors letter: the end of anti-aging, one year later , Web.

Mcaulay, K 2017, Survey: how millennials purchase makeup in the digital age , Web.

Modern Salon 2017, StriVectin releases anti-wrinkle recoding serum , Web.

Schwemmer, C & Ziewiecki, S 2018, ‘Social media sellout: the increasing role of product promotion on YouTube’, Social Media and Society, vol. 4, no. 3, pp. 1-10.

Sharon, T 2016, Millennials give beauty business a makeover , Web.

Smith, R 2018, In fashion and beauty ads, less skin and more empowerment , Web.

Wischhover, C 2018, The natural beauty industry is on the rise because we are scared of chemicals , Web.

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IvyPanda. (2021, July 22). Millennial Skin Care: Marketing. https://ivypanda.com/essays/millennial-skin-care-marketing/

"Millennial Skin Care: Marketing." IvyPanda , 22 July 2021, ivypanda.com/essays/millennial-skin-care-marketing/.

IvyPanda . (2021) 'Millennial Skin Care: Marketing'. 22 July.

IvyPanda . 2021. "Millennial Skin Care: Marketing." July 22, 2021. https://ivypanda.com/essays/millennial-skin-care-marketing/.

1. IvyPanda . "Millennial Skin Care: Marketing." July 22, 2021. https://ivypanda.com/essays/millennial-skin-care-marketing/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . "Millennial Skin Care: Marketing." July 22, 2021. https://ivypanda.com/essays/millennial-skin-care-marketing/.

  • Research article
  • Open access
  • Published: 12 June 2019

The impact of skin care products on skin chemistry and microbiome dynamics

  • Amina Bouslimani 1   na1 ,
  • Ricardo da Silva 1   na1 ,
  • Tomasz Kosciolek 2 ,
  • Stefan Janssen 2 , 3 ,
  • Chris Callewaert 2 , 4 ,
  • Amnon Amir 2 ,
  • Kathleen Dorrestein 1 ,
  • Alexey V. Melnik 1 ,
  • Livia S. Zaramela 2 ,
  • Ji-Nu Kim 2 ,
  • Gregory Humphrey 2 ,
  • Tara Schwartz 2 ,
  • Karenina Sanders 2 ,
  • Caitriona Brennan 2 ,
  • Tal Luzzatto-Knaan 1 ,
  • Gail Ackermann 2 ,
  • Daniel McDonald 2 ,
  • Karsten Zengler 2 , 5 , 6 ,
  • Rob Knight 2 , 5 , 6 , 7 &
  • Pieter C. Dorrestein 1 , 2 , 5 , 8  

BMC Biology volume  17 , Article number:  47 ( 2019 ) Cite this article

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Use of skin personal care products on a regular basis is nearly ubiquitous, but their effects on molecular and microbial diversity of the skin are unknown. We evaluated the impact of four beauty products (a facial lotion, a moisturizer, a foot powder, and a deodorant) on 11 volunteers over 9 weeks.

Mass spectrometry and 16S rRNA inventories of the skin revealed decreases in chemical as well as in bacterial and archaeal diversity on halting deodorant use. Specific compounds from beauty products used before the study remain detectable with half-lives of 0.5–1.9 weeks. The deodorant and foot powder increased molecular, bacterial, and archaeal diversity, while arm and face lotions had little effect on bacterial and archaeal but increased chemical diversity. Personal care product effects last for weeks and produce highly individualized responses, including alterations in steroid and pheromone levels and in bacterial and archaeal ecosystem structure and dynamics.

Conclusions

These findings may lead to next-generation precision beauty products and therapies for skin disorders.

The human skin is the most exposed organ to the external environment and represents the first line of defense against external chemical and microbial threats. It harbors a microbial habitat that is person-specific and varies considerably across the body surface [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]. Recent findings suggested an association between the use of antiperspirants or make-up and skin microbiota composition [ 5 , 6 , 7 ]. However, these studies were performed for a short period (7–10 days) and/or without washing out the volunteers original personal care products, leading to incomplete evaluation of microbial alterations because the process of skin turnover takes 21–28 days [ 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 ]. It is well-established that without intervention, most adult human microbiomes, skin or other microbiomes, remain stable compared to the differences between individuals [ 3 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 ].

Although the skin microbiome is stable for years [ 10 ], little is known about the molecules that reside on the skin surface or how skin care products influence this chemistry [ 17 , 18 ]. Mass spectrometry can be used to detect host molecules, personalized lifestyles including diet, medications, and personal care products [ 18 , 19 ]. However, although the impact of short-term dietary interventions on the gut microbiome has been assessed [ 20 , 21 ], no study has yet tested how susceptible the skin chemistry and Microbiome are to alterations in the subjects’ personal care product routine.

In our recent metabolomic/microbiome 3D cartography study [ 18 ], we observed altered microbial communities where specific skin care products were present. Therefore, we hypothesized that these products might shape specific skin microbial communities by changing their chemical environment. Some beauty product ingredients likely promote or inhibit the growth of specific bacteria: for example, lipid components of moisturizers could provide nutrients and promote the growth of lipophilic bacteria such as Staphylococcus and Propionibacterium [ 18 , 22 , 23 ]. Understanding both temporal variations of the skin microbiome and chemistry is crucial for testing whether alterations in personal habits can influence the human skin ecosystem and, perhaps, host health. To evaluate these variations, we used a multi-omics approach integrating metabolomics and microbiome data from skin samples of 11 healthy human individuals. Here, we show that many compounds from beauty products persist on the skin for weeks following their use, suggesting a long-term contribution to the chemical environment where skin microbes live. Metabolomics analysis reveals temporal trends correlated to discontinuing and resuming the use of beauty products and characteristic of variations in molecular composition of the skin. Although highly personalized, as seen with the microbiome, the chemistry, including hormones and pheromones such as androstenone and androsterone, were dramatically altered. Similarly, by experimentally manipulating the personal care regime of participants, bacterial and molecular diversity and structure are altered, particularly for the armpits and feet. Interestingly, a high person-to-person molecular and bacterial variability is maintained over time even though personal care regimes were modified in exactly the same way for all participants.

Skin care and hygiene products persist on the skin

Systematic strategies to influence both the skin chemistry and microbiome have not yet been investigated. The outermost layer of the skin turns over every 3 to 4 weeks [ 8 , 9 ]. How the microbiome and chemistry are influenced by altering personal care and how long the chemicals of personal care products persist on the skin are essentially uncharacterized. In this study, we collected samples from skin of 12 healthy individuals—six males and six females—over 9 weeks. One female volunteer had withdrawn due to skin irritations that developed, and therefore, we describe the remaining 11 volunteers. Samples were collected from each arm, armpit, foot, and face, including both the right and left sides of the body (Fig.  1 a). All participants were asked to adhere to the same daily personal care routine during the first 6 weeks of this study (Fig.  1 b). The volunteers were asked to refrain from using any personal care product for weeks 1–3 except a mild body wash (Fig.  1 b). During weeks 4–6, in addition to the body wash, participants were asked to apply selected commercial skin care products at specific body parts: a moisturizer on the arm, a sunscreen on the face, an antiperspirant on the armpits, and a soothing powder on the foot (Fig.  1 b). To monitor adherence of participants to the study protocol, molecular features found in the antiperspirant, facial lotion, moisturizer, and foot powder were directly tracked with mass spectrometry from the skin samples. For all participants, the mass spectrometry data revealed the accumulation of specific beauty product ingredients during weeks 4–6 (Additional file  1 : Figure S1A-I, Fig.  2 a orange arrows). Examples of compounds that were highly abundant during T4–T6 in skin samples are avobenzone (Additional file  1 : Figure S1A), dexpanthenol (Additional file  1 : Figure S1B), and benzalkonium chloride (Additional file  1 : Figure S1C) from the facial sunscreen; trehalose 6-phosphate (Additional file  1 : Figure S1D) and glycerol stearate (Additional file  1 : Figure S1E) from the moisturizer applied on arms; indolin (Additional file  1 : Figure S1F) and an unannotated compound ( m/z 233.9, rt 183.29 s) (Additional file  1 : Figure S1G) from the foot powder; and decapropylene glycol (Additional file  1 : Figure S1H) and nonapropylene glycol (Additional file  1 : Figure S1I) from the antiperspirant. These results suggest that there is likely a compliance of all individuals to study requirements and even if all participants confirmed using each product every day, the amount of product applied by each individual may vary. Finally, for weeks 7–9, the participants were asked to return to their normal routine by using the same personal care products they used prior to the study. In total, excluding all blanks and personal care products themselves, we analyzed 2192 skin samples for both metabolomics and microbiome analyses.

figure 1

Study design and representation of changes in personal care regime over the course of 9 weeks. a Six males and six females were recruited and sampled using swabs on two locations from each body part (face, armpits, front forearms, and between toes) on the right and left side. The locations sampled were the face—upper cheek bone and lower jaw, armpit—upper and lower area, arm—front of elbow (antecubitis) and forearm (antebrachium), and feet—in between the first and second toe and third and fourth toe. Volunteers were asked to follow specific instructions for the use of skin care products. b Following the use of their personal skin care products (brown circles), all volunteers used only the same head to toe shampoo during the first 3 weeks (week 1–week 3) and no other beauty product was applied (solid blue circle). The following 3 weeks (week 4–week 6), four selected commercial beauty products were applied daily by all volunteers on the specific body part (deodorant antiperspirant for the armpits, soothing foot powder for the feet between toes, sunscreen for the face, and moisturizer for the front forearm) (triangles) and continued to use the same shampoo. During the last 3 weeks (week 7–week 9), all volunteers went back to their normal routine and used their personal beauty products (circles). Samples were collected once a week (from day 0 to day 68—10 timepoints from T0 to T9) for volunteers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, and 12, and on day 0 and day 6 for volunteer 8, who withdraw from the study after day 6. For 3 individuals (volunteers 4, 9, 10), samples were collected twice a week (19 timepoints total). Samples collected for 11 volunteers during 10 timepoints: 11 volunteers × 10 timepoints × 4 samples × 4 body sites = 1760. Samples collected from 3 selected volunteers during 9 additional timepoints: 3 volunteers × 9 timepoints × 4 samples × 4 body sites = 432. See also the “ Subject recruitment and sample collection ” section in the “ Methods ” section

figure 2

Monitoring the persistence of personal care product ingredients in the armpits over a 9-week period. a Heatmap representation of the most abundant molecular features detected in the armpits of all individuals during the four phases (0: initial, 1–3: no beauty products, 4–6: common products, and 7–9: personal products). Green color in the heatmap represents the highest molecular abundance and blue color the lowest one. Orange boxes with plain lines represent enlargement of cluster of molecules that persist on the armpits of volunteer 1 ( b ) and volunteer 3 ( c , d ). Orange clusters with dotted lines represent same clusters of molecules found on the armpits of other volunteers. Orange arrows represent the cluster of compounds characteristic of the antiperspirant used during T4–T6. b Polyethylene glycol (PEG) molecular clusters that persist on the armpits of individual 1. The molecular subnetwork, representing molecular families [ 24 ], is part of a molecular network ( http://gnps.ucsd.edu/ProteoSAFe/status.jsp?task=f5325c3b278a46b29e8860ec5791d5ad ) generated from MS/MS data collected from the armpits of volunteer 1 (T0–T3) MSV000081582 and MS/MS data collected from the deodorant used by volunteer 1 before the study started (T0) MSV000081580. c , d Polypropylene glycol (PPG) molecular families that persist on the armpits of individual 3, along with the corresponding molecular subnetwork that is part of the molecular network accessible here http://gnps.ucsd.edu/ProteoSAFe/status.jsp?task=aaa1af68099d4c1a87e9a09f398fe253 . Subnetworks were generated from MS/MS data collected from the armpits of volunteer 3 (T0–T3) MSV000081582 and MS/MS data collected from the deodorant used by volunteer 3 at T0 MSV000081580. The network nodes were annotated with colors. Nodes represent MS/MS spectra found in armpit samples of individual 1 collected during T0, T1, T2, and T3 and in personal deodorant used by individual 1 (orange nodes); armpit samples of individual 1 collected during T0, T2, and T3 and personal deodorant used by individual 1 (green nodes); armpit samples of individual 3 collected during T0, T1, T2, and T3 and in personal deodorant used by individual 3 (red nodes); armpit samples of individual 3 collected during T0 and in personal deodorant used by individual 3 (blue nodes); and armpit samples of individual 3 collected during T0 and T2 and in personal deodorant used by individual 3 (purple nodes). Gray nodes represent everything else. Error bars represent standard error of the mean calculated at each timepoint from four armpit samples collected from the right and left side of each individual separately. See also Additional file  1 : Figure S1

To understand how long beauty products persist on the skin, we monitored compounds found in deodorants used by two volunteers—female 1 and female 3—before the study (T0), over the first 3 weeks (T1–T3) (Fig.  1 b). During this phase, all participants used exclusively the same body wash during showering, making it easier to track ingredients of their personal care products. The data in the first 3 weeks (T1–T3) revealed that many ingredients of deodorants used on armpits (Fig.  2 a) persist on the skin during this time and were still detected during the first 3 weeks or at least during the first week following the last day of use. Each of the compounds detected in the armpits of individuals exhibited its own unique half-life. For example, the polyethylene glycol (PEG)-derived compounds m/z 344.227, rt 143 s (Fig.  2 b, S1J); m/z 432.279, rt 158 s (Fig.  2 b, S1K); and m/z 388.253, rt 151 s (Fig.  2 b, S1L) detected on armpits of volunteer 1 have a calculated half-life of 0.5 weeks (Additional file  1 : Figure S1J-L, all p values < 1.81e−07), while polypropylene glycol (PPG)-derived molecules m/z 481.87, rt 501 s (Fig.  2 c, S1M); m/z 560.420, rt 538 s (Fig.  2 c, S1N); m/z 788.608, rt 459 s (Fig.  2 d, S1O); m/z 846.650, rt 473 s (Fig.  2 d, S1P); and m/z 444.338, rt 486 s (Fig.  2 d, S1Q) found on armpits of volunteers 3 and 1 (Fig.  2 a) have a calculated half-life ranging from 0.7 to 1.9 weeks (Additional file  1 : Figure S1M-Q, all p values < 0.02), even though they originate from the same deodorant used by each individual. For some ingredients of deodorant used by volunteer 3 on time 0 (Additional file  1 : Figure S1M, N), a decline was observed during the first week, then little to no traces of these ingredients were detected during weeks 4–6 (T4–T6), then finally these ingredients reappear again during the last 3 weeks of personal product use (T7–T9). This suggests that these ingredients are present exclusively in the personal deodorant used by volunteer 3 before the study. Because a similar deodorant (Additional file  1 : Figure S1O-Q) and a face lotion (Additional file  1 : Figure S1R) was used by volunteer 3 and volunteer 2, respectively, prior to the study, there was no decline or absence of their ingredients during weeks 4–6 (T4–T6).

Polyethylene glycol compounds (Additional file  1 : Figure S1J-L) wash out faster from the skin than polypropylene glycol (Additional file  1 : Figure S1M-Q)(HL ~ 0.5 weeks vs ~ 1.9 weeks) and faster than fatty acids used in lotions (HL ~ 1.2 weeks) (Additional file  1 : Figure S1R), consistent with their hydrophilic (PEG) and hydrophobic properties (PPG and fatty acids) [ 25 , 26 ]. This difference in hydrophobicity is also reflected in the retention time as detected by mass spectrometry. Following the linear decrease of two PPG compounds from T0 to T1, they accumulated noticeably during weeks 2 and 3 (Additional file  1 : Figure S1M, N). This accumulation might be due to other sources of PPG such as the body wash used during this period or the clothes worn by person 3. Although PPG compounds were not listed in the ingredient list of the shampoo, we manually inspected the LC-MS data collected from this product and confirmed the absence of PPG compounds in the shampoo. The data suggest that this trend is characteristic of accumulation of PPG from additional sources. These could be clothes, beds, or sheets, in agreement with the observation of these molecules found in human habitats [ 27 ] but also in the public GNPS mass spectrometry dataset MSV000079274 that investigated the chemicals from dust collected from 1053 mattresses of children.

Temporal molecular and bacterial diversity in response to personal care use

To assess the effect of discontinuing and resuming the use of skin care products on molecular and microbiota dynamics, we first evaluated their temporal diversity. Skin sites varied markedly in their initial level (T0) of molecular and bacterial diversity, with higher molecular diversity at all sites for female participants compared to males (Fig.  3 a, b, Wilcoxon rank-sum-WR test, p values ranging from 0.01 to 0.0001, from foot to arm) and higher bacterial diversity in face (WR test, p  = 0.0009) and armpits (WR test, p  = 0.002) for females (Fig.  3 c, d). Temporal diversity was similar across the right and left sides of each body site of all individuals (WR test, molecular diversity: all p values > 0.05; bacterial diversity: all p values > 0.20). The data show that refraining from using beauty products (T1–T3) leads to a significant decrease in molecular diversity at all sites (Fig.  3 a, b, WR test, face: p  = 8.29e−07, arm: p  = 7.08e−09, armpit: p  = 1.13e−05, foot: p  = 0.002) and bacterial diversity mainly in armpits (WR test, p  = 0.03) and feet (WR test, p  = 0.04) (Fig.  3 c, d). While molecular diversity declined (Fig.  3 a, b) for arms and face, bacterial diversity (Fig.  3 c, d) was less affected in the face and arms when participants did not use skin care products (T1–T3). The molecular diversity remained stable in the arms and face of female participants during common beauty products use (T4–T6) to immediately increase as soon as the volunteers went back to their normal routines (T7–T9) (WR test, p  = 0.006 for the arms and face)(Fig.  3 a, b). A higher molecular (Additional file  1 : Figure S2A) and community (Additional file  1 : Figure S2B) diversity was observed for armpits and feet of all individuals during the use of antiperspirant and foot powder (T4–T6) (WR test, molecular diversity: armpit p  = 8.9e−33, foot p  = 1.03e−11; bacterial diversity: armpit p  = 2.14e−28, foot p  = 1.26e−11), followed by a molecular and bacterial diversity decrease in the armpits when their regular personal beauty product use was resumed (T7–T9) (bacterial diversity: WR test, p  = 4.780e−21, molecular diversity: WR test, p  = 2.159e−21). Overall, our data show that refraining from using beauty products leads to lower molecular and bacterial diversity, while resuming the use increases their diversity. Distinct variations between male and female molecular and community richness were perceived at distinct body parts (Fig.  3 a–d). Although the chemical diversity of personal beauty products does not explain these variations (Additional file  1 : Figure S2C), differences observed between males and females may be attributed to many environmental and lifestyle factors including different original skin care and different frequency of use of beauty products (Additional file  2 : Table S1), washing routines, and diet.

figure 3

Molecular and bacterial diversity over a 9-week period, comparing samples based on their molecular (UPLC-Q-TOF-MS) or bacterial (16S rRNA amplicon) profiles. Molecular and bacterial diversity using the Shannon index was calculated from samples collected from each body part at each timepoint, separately for female ( n  = 5) and male ( n  = 6) individuals. Error bars represent standard error of the mean calculated at each timepoint, from up to four samples collected from the right and left side of each body part, of females ( n  = 5) and males ( n  = 6) separately. a , b Molecular alpha diversity measured using the Shannon index from five females (left panel) and six males (right panel), over 9 weeks, from four distinct body parts (armpits, face, arms, feet). c , d Bacterial alpha diversity measured using the Shannon index, from skin samples collected from five female (left panel) and six male individuals (right panel), over 9 weeks, from four distinct body parts (armpits, face, arms, feet). See also Additional file  1 : Figure S2

Longitudinal variation of skin metabolomics signatures

To gain insights into temporal metabolomics variation associated with beauty product use, chemical inventories collected over 9 weeks were subjected to multivariate analysis using the widely used Bray–Curtis dissimilarity metric (Fig.  4 a–c, S3A). Throughout the 9-week period, distinct molecular signatures were associated to each specific body site: arm, armpit, face, and foot (Additional file  1 : Figure S3A, Adonis test, p  < 0.001, R 2 0.12391). Mass spectrometric signatures displayed distinct individual trends at each specific body site (arm, armpit, face, and foot) over time, supported by their distinct locations in PCoA (principal coordinate analysis) space (Fig.  4 a, b) and based on the Bray–Curtis distances between molecular profiles (Additional file  1 : Figure S3B, WR test, all p values < 0.0001 from T0 through T9). This suggests a high molecular inter-individual variability over time despite similar changes in personal care routines. Significant differences in molecular patterns associated to ceasing (T1–T3) (Fig.  4 b, Additional file 1 : Figure S3C, WR test, T0 vs T1–T3 p  < 0.001) and resuming the use of common beauty products (T4–T6) (Additional file  1 : Figure S3C) were observed in the arm, face, and foot (Fig.  4 b), although the armpit exhibited the most pronounced changes (Fig.  4 b, Additional file 1 : Figure S3D, E, random forest highlighting that 100% of samples from each phase were correctly predicted). Therefore, we focused our analysis on this region. Molecular changes were noticeable starting the first week (T1) of discontinuing beauty product use. As shown for armpits in Fig.  4 c, these changes at the chemical level are specific to each individual, possibly due to the extremely personalized lifestyles before the study and match their original use of deodorant. Based on the initial use of underarm products (T0) (Additional file  2 : Table S1), two groups of participants can be distinguished: a group of five volunteers who used stick deodorant as evidenced by the mass spectrometry data and another group of volunteers where we found few or no traces suggesting they never or infrequently used stick deodorants (Additional file  2 : Table S1). Based on this criterion, the chemical trends shown in Fig.  4 c highlight that individuals who used stick deodorant before the beginning of the study (volunteers 1, 2, 3, 9, and 12) displayed a more pronounced shift in their armpits’ chemistries as soon as they stopped using deodorant (T1–T3), compared to individuals who had low detectable levels of stick deodorant use (volunteers 4, 6, 7, and 10), or “rarely-to-never” (volunteers 5 and 11) use stick deodorants as confirmed by the volunteers (Additional file  1 : Figure S3F, WR test, T0 vs T1–T3 all p values < 0.0001, with greater distance for the group of volunteers 1, 2, 3, 9, and 12, compared to volunteers 4, 5, 6, 7, 10, and 11). The most drastic shift in chemical profiles was observed during the transition period, when all participants applied the common antiperspirant on a daily basis (T4–T6) (Additional file  1 : Figure S3D, E). Finally, the molecular profiles became gradually more similar to those collected before the experiment (T0) as soon as the participants resumed using their personal beauty products (T7–T9) (Additional file  1 : Figure S3C), although traces of skin care products did last through the entire T7–T9 period in people who do not routinely apply these products (Fig.  4 c).

figure 4

Individualized influence of beauty product application on skin metabolomics profiles over time. a Multivariate statistical analysis (principal coordinate analysis (PCoA)) comparing mass spectrometry data collected over 9 weeks from the skin of 11 individuals, all body parts, combined (first plot from the left) and then displayed separately (arm, armpits, face, feet). Color scale represents volunteer ID. The PCoA was calculated on all samples together, and subsets of the data are shown in this shared space and the other panels. b The molecular profiles collected over 9 weeks from all body parts, combined then separately (arm, armpits, face, feet). c Representative molecular profiles collected over 9 weeks from armpits of 11 individuals (volunteers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12). Color gradient in b and c represents timepoints (time 0 to time 9), ranging from the lightest orange color to the darkest one that represent the earliest (time 0) to the latest (time 9) timepoint, respectively. 0.5 timepoints represent additional timepoints where three selected volunteers were samples (volunteers 4, 9, and 10). PCoA plots were generated using the Bray–Curtis dissimilarity matrix and visualized in Emperor [ 28 ]. See also Additional file  1 : Figure S3

Comparing chemistries detected in armpits at the end timepoints—when no products were used (T3) and during product use (T6)—revealed distinct molecular signatures characteristic of each phase (random forest highlighting that 100% of samples from each group were correctly predicted, see Additional file  1 : Figure S3D, E). Because volunteers used the same antiperspirant during T4–T6, molecular profiles converged during that time despite individual patterns at T3 (Fig.  4 b, c, Additional file  1 : Figure S3D). These distinct chemical patterns reflect the significant impact of beauty products on skin molecular composition. Although these differences may in part be driven by beauty product ingredients detected on the skin (Additional file  1 : Figure S1), we anticipated that additional host- and microbe-derived molecules may also be involved in these molecular changes.

To characterize the chemistries that vary over time, we used molecular networking, a MS visualization approach that evaluates the relationship between MS/MS spectra and compares them to reference MS/MS spectral libraries of known compounds [ 29 , 30 ]. We recently showed that molecular networking can successfully organize large-scale mass spectrometry data collected from the human skin surface [ 18 , 19 ]. Briefly, molecular networking uses the MScluster algorithm [ 31 ] to merge all identical spectra and then compares and aligns all unique pairs of MS/MS spectra based on their similarities where 1.0 indicates a perfect match. Similarities between MS/MS spectra are calculated using a similarity score, and are interpreted as molecular families [ 19 , 24 , 32 , 33 , 34 ]. Here, we used this method to compare and characterize chemistries found in armpits, arms, face, and foot of 11 participants. Based on MS/MS spectral similarities, chemistries highlighted through molecular networking (Additional file  1 : Figure S4A) were associated with each body region with 8% of spectra found exclusively in the arms, 12% in the face, 14% in the armpits, and 2% in the foot, while 18% of the nodes were shared between all four body parts and the rest of spectra were shared between two body sites or more (Additional file  1 : Figure S4B). Greater spectral similarities were highlighted between armpits, face, and arm (12%) followed by the arm and face (9%) (Additional file  1 : Figure S4B).

Molecules were annotated with Global Natural Products Social Molecular Networking (GNPS) libraries [ 29 ], using accurate parent mass and MS/MS fragmentation patterns, according to level 2 or 3 of annotation defined by the 2007 metabolomics standards initiative [ 35 ]. Through annotations, molecular networking revealed that many compounds derived from steroids (Fig.  5 a–d), bile acids (Additional file  1 : Figure S5A-D), and acylcarnitines (Additional file  1 : Figure S5E-F) were exclusively detected in the armpits. Using authentic standards, the identity of some pheromones and bile acids were validated to a level 1 identification with matched retention times (Additional file  1 : Figure S6B, S7A, C, D). Other steroids and bile acids were either annotated using standards with identical MS/MS spectra but slightly different retention times (Additional file  1 : Figure S6A) or annotated with MS/MS spectra match with reference MS/MS library spectra (Additional file  1 : Figure S6C, D, S7B, S6E-G). These compounds were therefore classified as level 3 [ 35 ]. Acylcarnitines were annotated to a family of possible acylcarnitines (we therefore classify as level 3), as the positions of double bonds or cis vs trans configurations are unknown (Additional file  1 : Figure S8A, B).

figure 5

Underarm steroids and their longitudinal abundance. a – d Steroid molecular families in the armpits and their relative abundance over a 9-week period. Molecular networking was applied to characterize chemistries from the skin of 11 healthy individuals. The full network is shown in Additional file  1 : Figure S4A, and networking parameters can be found here http://gnps.ucsd.edu/ProteoSAFe/status.jsp?task=284fc383e4c44c4db48912f01905f9c5 for MS/MS datasets MSV000081582. Each node represents a consensus of a minimum of 3 identical MS/MS spectra. Yellow nodes represent MS/MS spectra detected in armpits samples. Hexagonal shape represents MS/MS spectra match between skin samples and chemical standards. Plots are representative of the relative abundance of each compound over time, calculated separately from LC-MS1 data collected from the armpits of each individual. Steroids detected in armpits are a , dehydroisoandrosterone sulfate ( m/z 369.190, rt 247 s), b androsterone sulfate ( m/z 371.189, rt 261 s), c 1-dehydroandrostenedione ( m/z 285.185, rt 273 s), and d dehydroandrosterone ( m/z 289.216, rt 303 s). Relative abundance over time of each steroid compound is represented. Error bars represent the standard error of the mean calculated at each timepoint from four armpit samples from the right and left side of each individual separately. See also Additional file  1 : Figures S4-S8

Among the steroid compounds, several molecular families were characterized: androsterone (Fig.  5 a, b, d), androstadienedione (Fig.  5 c), androstanedione (Additional file  1 : Figure S6E), androstanolone (Additional file  1 : Figure S6F), and androstenedione (Additional file  1 : Figure S6G). While some steroids were detected in the armpits of several individuals, such as dehydroisoandrosterone sulfate ( m/z 369.19, rt 247 s) (9 individuals) (Fig.  5 a, Additional file  1 : Figure S6A), androsterone sulfate ( m/z 371.189, rt 261 s) (9 individuals) (Fig.  5 b, Additional file  1 : Figure S6C), and 5-alpha-androstane-3,17-dione ( m/z 271.205, rt 249 s) (9 individuals) (Additional file  1 : Figure S6E), other steroids including 1-dehydroandrostenedione ( m/z 285.185, rt 273 s) (Fig.  5 c, Additional file  1 : Figure S6B), dehydroandrosterone ( m/z 289.216, rt 303 s) (Fig.  5 d, Additional file 1 : Figure S6D), and 5-alpha-androstan-17.beta-ol-3-one ( m/z 291.231, rt 318 s) (Additional file  1 : Figure S6F) were only found in the armpits of volunteer 11 and 4-androstene-3,17-dione ( m/z 287.200, rt 293 s) in the armpits of volunteer 11 and volunteer 5, both are male that never applied stick deodorants (Additional file  1 : Figure S6G). Each molecular species exhibited a unique pattern over the 9-week period. The abundance of dehydroisoandrosterone sulfate (Fig.  5 a, WR test, p  < 0.01 for 7 individuals) and dehydroandrosterone (Fig.  5 a, WR test, p  = 0.00025) significantly increased during the use of antiperspirant (T4–T6), while androsterone sulfate (Fig.  5 b) and 5-alpha-androstane-3,17-dione (Additional file  1 : Figure S6E) display little variation over time. Unlike dehydroisoandrosterone sulfate (Fig.  5 a) and dehydroandrosterone (Fig.  5 d), steroids including 1-dehydroandrostenedione (Fig.  5 c, WR test, p  = 0.00024) and 4-androstene-3,17-dione (Additional file  1 : Figure S6G, WR test, p  = 0.00012) decreased in abundance during the 3 weeks of antiperspirant application (T4–T6) in armpits of male 11, and their abundance increased again when resuming the use of his normal skin care routines (T7–T9). Interestingly, even within the same individual 11, steroids were differently impacted by antiperspirant use as seen for 1-dehydroandrostenedione that decreased in abundance during T4–T6 (Fig.  5 c, WR test, p  = 0.00024), while dehydroandrosterone increased in abundance (Fig.  5 d, WR test, p  = 0.00025), and this increase was maintained during the last 3 weeks of the study (T7–T9).

In addition to steroids, many bile acids (Additional file  1 : Figure S5A-D) and acylcarnitines (Additional file  1 : Figure S5E-F) were detected on the skin of several individuals through the 9-week period. Unlike taurocholic acid found only on the face (Additional file  1 : Figures S5A, S7A) and tauroursodeoxycholic acid detected in both armpits and arm samples (Additional file  1 : Figures S5B, S7B), other primary bile acids such as glycocholic (Additional file  1 : Figures S5C, S7C) and chenodeoxyglycocholic acid (Additional file  1 : Figures S5D, S7D) were exclusively detected in the armpits. Similarly, acylcarnitines were also found either exclusively in the armpits (hexadecanoyl carnitines) (Additional file  1 : Figures S5E, S8A) or in the armpits and face (tetradecenoyl carnitine) (Additional file  1 : Figures S5F, S8B) and, just like the bile acids, they were also stably detected during the whole 9-week period.

Bacterial communities and their variation over time

Having demonstrated the impact of beauty products on the chemical makeup of the skin, we next tested the extent to which skin microbes are affected by personal care products. We assessed temporal variation of bacterial communities detected on the skin of healthy individuals by evaluating dissimilarities of bacterial collections over time using unweighted UniFrac distance [ 36 ] and community variation at each body site in association to beauty product use [ 3 , 15 , 37 ]. Unweighted metrics are used for beta diversity calculations because we are primarily concerned with changes in community membership rather than relative abundance. The reason for this is that skin microbiomes can fluctuate dramatically in relative abundance on shorter timescales than that assessed here. Longitudinal variations were revealed for the armpits (Fig.  6 a) and feet microbiome by their overall trend in the PCoA plots (Fig.  6 b), while the arm (Fig.  6 c) and face (Fig.  6 d) displayed relatively stable bacterial profiles over time. As shown in Fig.  6 a–d, although the microbiome was site-specific, it varied more between individuals and this inter-individual variability was maintained over time despite same changes in personal care routine (WR test, all p values at all timepoints < 0.05, T5 p  = 0.07), in agreement with previous findings that individual differences in the microbiome are large and stable over time [ 3 , 4 , 10 , 37 ]. However, we show that shifts in the microbiome can be induced by changing hygiene routine and therefore skin chemistry. Changes associated with using beauty products (T4–T6) were more pronounced for the armpits (Fig.  6 a, WR test, p  = 1.61e−52) and feet (Fig.  6 b, WR test, p  = 6.15e−09), while little variations were observed for the face (Fig.  6 d, WR test, p  = 1.402.e−83) and none for the arms (Fig.  6 c, WR test, p  = 0.296).

figure 6

Longitudinal variation of skin bacterial communities in association with beauty product use. a - d Bacterial profiles collected from skin samples of 11 individuals, over 9 weeks, from four distinct body parts a) armpits, b) feet, c) arms and d) face, using multivariate statistical analysis (Principal Coordinates Analysis PCoA) and unweighted Unifrac metric. Each color represents bacterial samples collected from an individual. PCoA were calculated separately for each body part. e , f Representative Gram-negative (Gram -) bacteria collected from arms, armpits, face and feet of e) female and f) male participants. See also Additional file  1 : Figure S9A, B showing Gram-negative bacterial communities represented at the genus level

A significant increase in abundance of Gram-negative bacteria including the phyla Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes was noticeable for the armpits and feet of both females (Fig.  6 e; Mann–Whitney U , p  = 8.458e−07) and males (Fig.  6 f; Mann–Whitney U , p  = 0.0004) during the use of antiperspirant (T4–T6), while their abundance remained stable for the arms and face during that time (Fig.  6 e, f; female arm p  = 0.231; female face p value = 0.475; male arm p = 0.523;male face p  = 6.848751e−07). These Gram-negative bacteria include Acinetobacter and Paracoccus genera that increased in abundance in both armpits and feet of females (Additional file  1 : Figure S9A), while a decrease in abundance of Enhydrobacter was observed in the armpits of males (Additional file  1 : Figure S9B). Cyanobacteria, potentially originating from plant material (Additional file  1 : Figure S9C) also increased during beauty product use (T4–T6) especially in males, in the armpits and face of females (Fig.  6 e) and males (Fig.  6 f). Interestingly, although chloroplast sequences (which group phylogenetically within the cyanobacteria [ 38 ]) were only found in the facial cream (Additional file  1 : Figure S9D), they were detected in other locations as well (Fig.  6 e, f. S9E, F), highlighting that the application of a product in one region will likely affect other regions of the body. For example, when showering, a face lotion will drip down along the body and may be detected on the feet. Indeed, not only did the plant material from the cream reveal this but also the shampoo used for the study for which molecular signatures were readily detected on the feet as well (Additional file  1 : Figure S10A). Minimal average changes were observed for Gram-positive organisms (Additional file  1 : Figure S10B, C), although in some individuals the variation was greater than others (Additional file  1 : Figure S10D, E) as discussed for specific Gram-positive taxa below.

At T0, the armpit’s microflora was dominated by Staphylococcus (26.24%, 25.11% of sequencing reads for females and 27.36% for males) and Corynebacterium genera (26.06%, 17.89% for females and 34.22% for males) (Fig.  7 a—first plot from left and Additional file  1 : Figure S10D, E). They are generally known as the dominant armpit microbiota and make up to 80% of the armpit microbiome [ 39 , 40 ]. When no deodorants were used (T1–T3), an overall increase in relative abundance of Staphylococcus (37.71%, 46.78% for females and 30.47% for males) and Corynebacterium (31.88%, 16.50% for females and 44.15% for males) genera was noticeable (WR test, p  < 3.071e−05) (Fig.  7 a—first plot from left), while the genera Anaerococcus and Peptoniphilus decreased in relative abundance (WR test, p  < 0.03644) (Fig.  7 a—first plot from left and Additional file  1 : Figure S10D, E). When volunteers started using antiperspirants (T4–T6), the relative abundance of Staphylococcus (37.71%, 46.78% females and 30.47% males, to 21.71%, 25.02% females and 19.25% males) and Corynebacterium (31.88%, 16.50% females and 44.15% males, to 15.83%, 10.76% females and 19.60% males) decreased (WR test, p  < 3.071e−05) (Fig.  7 a, Additional file  1 : Figure S10D, E) and at the same time, the overall alpha diversity increased significantly (WR test, p  = 3.47e−11) (Fig.  3 c, d). The microbiota Anaerococcus (WR test, p  = 0.0006018) , Peptoniphilus (WR test, p  = 0.008639), and Micrococcus (WR test, p  = 0.0377) increased significantly in relative abundance, together with a lot of additional low-abundant species that lead to an increase in Shannon alpha diversity (Fig.  3 c, d). When participants went back to normal personal care products (T7–T9), the underarm microbiome resembled the original underarm community of T0 (WR test, p  = 0.7274) (Fig.  7 a). Because armpit bacterial communities are person-specific (inter-individual variability: WR test, all p values at all timepoints < 0.05, besides T5 p n.s), variation in bacterial abundance upon antiperspirant use (T4–T6) differ between individuals and during the whole 9-week period (Fig.  7a —taxonomic plots per individual). For example, the underarm microbiome of male 5 exhibited a unique pattern, where Corynebacterium abundance decreased drastically during the use of antiperspirant (82.74 to 11.71%, WR test, p  = 3.518e−05) while in the armpits of female 9 a huge decrease in Staphylococcus abundance was observed (Fig.  7 a) (65.19 to 14.85%, WR test, p  = 0.000113). Unlike other participants, during T0–T3, the armpits of individual 11 were uniquely characterized by the dominance of a sequence that matched most closely to the Enhydrobacter genera . The transition to antiperspirant use (T4–T6) induces the absence of Enhydrobacter (30.77 to 0.48%, WR test, p  = 0.01528) along with an increase of Corynebacterium abundance (26.87 to 49.74%, WR test, p  = 0.1123) (Fig.  7 a—male 11).

figure 7

Person-to-person bacterial variabilities over time in the armpits and feet. a Armpit microbiome changes when stopping personal care product use, then resuming. Armpit bacterial composition of the 11 volunteers combined, then separately, (female 1, female 2, female 3, male 4, male 5, male 6, male 7, female 9, male 10, male 11, female 12) according to the four periods within the experiment. b Feet bacterial variation over time of the 12 volunteers combined, then separately (female 1, female 2, female 3, male 4, male 5, male 6, male 7, female 9, male 10, male 11, female 12) according to the four periods within the experiment. See also Additional file  1 : Figure S9-S13

In addition to the armpits, a decline in abundance of Staphylococcus and Corynebacterium was perceived during the use of the foot powder (46.93% and 17.36%, respectively) compared to when no beauty product was used (58.35% and 22.99%, respectively) (WR test, p  = 9.653e−06 and p  = 0.02032, respectively), while the abundance of low-abundant foot bacteria significantly increased such as Micrococcus (WR test, p  = 1.552e−08), Anaerococcus (WR test, p  = 3.522e−13), Streptococcus (WR test, p  = 1.463e−06), Brevibacterium (WR test, p  = 6.561e−05), Moraxellaceae (WR test, p  = 0.0006719), and Acinetobacter (WR test, p  = 0.001487), leading to a greater bacterial diversity compared to other phases of the study (Fig.  7 b first plot from left, Additional file  1 : Figure S10D, E, Fig.  3 c, d).

We further evaluated the relationship between the two omics datasets by superimposing the principal coordinates calculated from metabolome and microbiome data (Procrustes analysis) (Additional file  1 : Figure S11) [ 34 , 41 , 42 ]. Metabolomics data were more correlated with patterns observed in microbiome data in individual 3 (Additional file  1 : Figure S11C, Mantel test, r  = 0.23, p  < 0.001), individual 5 (Additional file  1 : Figure S11E, r  = 0.42, p  < 0.001), individual 9 (Additional file  1 : Figure S11H, r  = 0.24, p  < 0.001), individual 10 (Additional file  1 : Figure S11I, r  = 0.38, p  < 0.001), and individual 11 (Additional file  1 : Figure S11J, r  = 0.35, p  < 0.001) when compared to other individuals 1, 2, 4, 6, 7, and 12 (Additional file  1 : Figure S11A, B, D, F, G, K, respectively) (Mantel test, all r  < 0.2, all p values < 0.002, for volunteer 2 p n.s). Furthermore, these correlations were individually affected by ceasing (T1–T3) or resuming the use of beauty products (T4–T6 and T7–T9) (Additional file  1 : Figure S11A-K).

Overall, metabolomics–microbiome correlations were consistent over time for the arms, face, and feet although alterations were observed in the arms of volunteers 7 (Additional file  1 : Figure S11G) and 10 (Additional file  1 : Figure S11I) and the face of volunteer 7 (Additional file  1 : Figure S11G) during product use (T4–T6). Molecular–bacterial correlations were mostly affected in the armpits during antiperspirant use (T4–T6), as seen for volunteers male 7 (Additional file  1 : Figure S11G) and 11 (Additional file  1 : Figure S11J) and females 2 (Additional file  1 : Figure S11B), 9 (Additional file  1 : Figure S11H), and 12 (Additional file  1 : Figure S11K). This perturbation either persisted during the last 3 weeks (Additional file  1 : Figure S11D, E, H, I, K) when individuals went back to their normal routine (T7–T9) or resembled the initial molecular–microbial correlation observed in T0 (Additional file  1 : Figure S11C, G, J). These alterations in molecular–bacterial correlation are driven by metabolomics changes during antiperspirant use as revealed by metabolomics shifts on the PCoA space (Additional file  1 : Figure S11), partially due to the deodorant’s chemicals (Additional file  1 : Figure S1J, K) but also to changes observed in steroid levels in the armpits (Fig.  5A, C, D , Additional file 1 : Figure S6G), suggesting metabolome-dependant changes of the skin microbiome. In agreement with previous findings that showed efficient biotransformation of steroids by Corynebacterium [ 43 , 44 ], our correlation analysis associates specific steroids that were affected by antiperspirant use in the armpits of volunteer 11 (Fig.  5 c, d, Additional file 1 : Figure S6G) with microbes that may produce or process them: 1-dehydroandrostenedione, androstenedione, and dehydrosterone with Corynebacterium ( r  = − 0.674, p  = 6e−05; r  = 0.671, p  = 7e−05; r  = 0.834, p  < 1e−05, respectively) (Additional file  1 : Figure S12A, B, C, respectively) and Enhydrobacter ( r  = 0.683, p  = 4e−05; r  = 0.581, p  = 0.00095; r  = 0.755, p  < 1e−05 respectively) (Additional file  1 : Figure S12D, E, F, respectively).

Despite the widespread use of skin care and hygiene products, their impact on the molecular and microbial composition of the skin is poorly studied. We established a workflow that examines individuals to systematically study the impact of such lifestyle characteristics on the skin by taking a broad look at temporal molecular and bacterial inventories and linking them to personal skin care product use. Our study reveals that when the hygiene routine is modified, the skin metabolome and microbiome can be altered, but that this alteration depends on product use and location on the body. We also show that like gut microbiome responses to dietary changes [ 20 , 21 ], the responses are individual-specific.

We recently reported that traces of our lifestyle molecules can be detected on the skin days and months after the original application [ 18 , 19 ]. Here, we show that many of the molecules associated with our personal skin and hygiene products had a half-life of 0.5 to 1.9 weeks even though the volunteers regularly showered, swam, or spent time in the ocean. Thus, a single application of some of these products has the potential to alter the microbiome and skin chemistry for extensive periods of time. Our data suggests that although host genetics and diet may play a role, a significant part of the resilience of the microbiome that has been reported [ 10 , 45 ] is due to the resilience of the skin chemistry associated with personal skin and hygiene routines, or perhaps even continuous re-exposure to chemicals from our personal care routines that are found on mattresses, furniture, and other personal objects [ 19 , 27 , 46 ] that are in constant contact. Consistent with this observation is that individuals in tribal regions and remote villages that are infrequently exposed to the types of products used in this study have very different skin microbial communities [ 47 , 48 ] and that the individuals in this study who rarely apply personal care products had a different starting metabolome. We observed that both the microbiome and skin chemistry of these individuals were most significantly affected by these products. This effect by the use of products at T4–T6 on the volunteers that infrequently used them lasted to the end phase of the study even though they went back to infrequent use of personal care products. What was notable and opposite to what the authors originally hypothesized is that the use of the foot powder and antiperspirant increased the diversity of microbes and that some of this diversity continued in the T7–T9 phase when people went back to their normal skin and hygiene routines. It is likely that this is due to the alteration in the nutrient availability such as fatty acids and moisture requirements, or alteration of microbes that control the colonization via secreted small molecules, including antibiotics made by microbes commonly found on the skin [ 49 , 50 ].

We detected specific molecules on the skin that originated from personal care products or from the host. One ingredient that lasts on the skin is propylene glycol, which is commonly used in deodorants and antiperspirants and added in relatively large amounts as a humectant to create a soft and sleek consistency [ 51 ]. As shown, daily use of personal care products is leading to high levels of exposure to these polymers. Such polymers cause contact dermatitis in a subset of the population [ 51 , 52 ]. Our data reveal a lasting accumulation of these compounds on the skin, suggesting that it may be possible to reduce their dose in deodorants or frequency of application and consequently decrease the degree of exposure to such compounds. Formulation design of personal care products may be influenced by performing detailed outcome studies. In addition, longer term impact studies are needed, perhaps in multiple year follow-up studies, to assess if the changes we observed are permanent or if they will recover to the original state.

Some of the host- and microbiome-modified molecules were also detected consistently, such as acylcarnitines, bile acids, and certain steroids. This means that a portion of the molecular composition of a person’s skin is not influenced by the beauty products applied to the skin, perhaps reflecting the level of exercise for acylcarnitines [ 53 , 54 ] or the liver (dominant location where they are made) or gallbladder (where they are stored) function for bile acids. The bile acid levels are not related to sex and do not change in amount during the course of this study. While bile acids are typically associated with the human gut microbiome [ 34 , 55 , 56 , 57 , 58 ], it is unclear what their role is on the skin and how they get there. One hypothesis is that they are present in the sweat that is excreted through the skin, as this is the case for several food-derived molecules such as caffeine or drugs and medications that have been previously reported on the human skin [ 19 ] or that microbes synthesize them de novo [ 55 ]. The only reports we could find on bile acids being associated with the skin describe cholestasis and pruritus diseases. Cholestasis and pruritus in hepatobiliary disease have symptoms of skin bile acid accumulation that are thought to be responsible for severe skin itching [ 59 , 60 ]. However, since bile acids were found in over 50% of the healthy volunteers, their detection on the skin is likely a common phenotype among the general population and not only reflective of disease, consistent with recent reports challenging these molecules as biomarkers of disease [ 59 ]. Other molecules that were detected consistently came from personal care products.

Aside from molecules that are person-specific and those that do not vary, there are others that can be modified via personal care routines. Most striking is how the personal care routines influenced changes in hormones and pheromones in a personalized manner. This suggests that there may be personalized recipes that make it possible to make someone more or less attractive to others via adjustments of hormonal and pheromonal levels through alterations in skin care.

Here, we describe the utilization of an approach that combines metabolomics and microbiome analysis to assess the effect of modifying personal care regime on skin chemistry and microbes. The key findings are as follows: (1) Compounds from beauty products last on the skin for weeks after their first use despite daily showering. (2) Beauty products alter molecular and bacterial diversity as well as the dynamic and structure of molecules and bacteria on the skin. (3) Molecular and bacterial temporal variability is product-, site-, and person-specific, and changes are observed starting the first week of beauty product use. This study provides a framework for future investigations to understand how lifestyle characteristics such as diet, outdoor activities, exercise, and medications shape the molecular and microbial composition of the skin. These factors have been studied far more in their impact on the gut microbiome and chemistry than in the skin. Revealing how such factors can affect skin microbes and their associated metabolites may be essential to define long-term skin health by restoring the appropriate microbes particularly in the context of skin aging [ 61 ] and skin diseases [ 49 ] as has shown to be necessary for amphibian health [ 62 , 63 ], or perhaps even create a precision skin care approach that utilizes the proper care ingredients based on the microbial and chemical signatures that could act as key players in host defense [ 49 , 64 , 65 ].

Subject recruitment and sample collection

Twelve individuals between 25 and 40 years old were recruited to participate in this study, six females and six males. Female volunteer 8 dropped out of the study as she developed a skin irritation during the T1–T3 phase. All volunteers signed a written informed consent in accordance with the sampling procedure approved by the UCSD Institutional Review Board (Approval Number 161730). Volunteers were required to follow specific instructions during 9 weeks. They were asked to bring in samples of their personal care products they used prior to T0 so they could be sampled as well. Following the initial timepoint time 0 and during the first 3 weeks (week 1–week 3), volunteers were asked not to use any beauty products (Fig.  1 b). During the next 3 weeks (week 4–week 6), four selected commercial beauty products provided to all volunteers were applied once a day at specific body part (deodorant for the armpits, soothing foot powder between the toes, sunscreen for the face, and moisturizer for front forearms) (Fig.  1 b, Additional file  3 : Table S2 Ingredient list of beauty products). During the first 6 weeks, volunteers were asked to shower with a head to toe shampoo. During the last 3 weeks (week 7–week 9), all volunteers went back to their normal routine and used the personal care products used before the beginning of the study (Fig.  1 b). Volunteers were asked not to shower the day before sampling. Samples were collected by the same three researchers to ensure consistency in sampling and the area sampled. Researchers examined every subject together and collected metabolomics and microbiome samples from each location together. Samples were collected once a week (from day 0 to day 68—10 timepoints total) for volunteers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, and 12, and on day 0 and day 6 for volunteer 8. For individuals 4, 9, and 10, samples were collected twice a week. Samples collected for 11 volunteers during 10 timepoints: 11 volunteers × 10 timepoints × 4 samples × 4 body sites = 1760. Samples collected from 3 selected volunteers during 9 additional timepoints: 3 volunteers × 9 timepoints × 4 samples × 4 body sites = 432. All samples were collected following the same protocol described in [ 18 ]. Briefly, samples were collected over an area of 2 × 2 cm, using pre-moistened swabs in 50:50 ethanol/water solution for metabolomics analysis or in Tris-EDTA buffer for 16S rRNA sequencing. Four samples were collected from each body part right and left side. The locations sampled were the face—upper cheek bone and lower jaw, armpit—upper and lower area, arm—front of the elbow (antecubitis) and forearm (antebrachium), and feet—in between the first and second toe and third and fourth toe. Including personal care product references, a total of 2275 samples were collected over 9 weeks and were submitted to both metabolomics and microbial inventories.

Metabolite extraction and UPLC-Q-TOF mass spectrometry analysis

Skin swabs were extracted and analyzed using a previously validated workflow described in [ 18 , 19 ]. All samples were extracted in 200 μl of 50:50 ethanol/water solution for 2 h on ice then overnight at − 20 °C. Swab sample extractions were dried down in a centrifugal evaporator then resuspended by vortexing and sonication in a 100 μl 50:50 ethanol/water solution containing two internal standards (fluconazole 1 μM and amitriptyline 1 μM). The ethanol/water extracts were then analyzed using a previously validated UPLC-MS/MS method [ 18 , 19 ]. We used a ThermoScientific UltiMate 3000 UPLC system for liquid chromatography and a Maxis Q-TOF (Quadrupole-Time-of-Flight) mass spectrometer (Bruker Daltonics), controlled by the Otof Control and Hystar software packages (Bruker Daltonics) and equipped with ESI source. UPLC conditions of analysis are 1.7 μm C18 (50 × 2.1 mm) UHPLC Column (Phenomenex), column temperature 40 °C, flow rate 0.5 ml/min, mobile phase A 98% water/2% acetonitrile/0.1% formic acid ( v / v ), mobile phase B 98% acetonitrile/2% water/0.1% formic acid ( v / v ). A linear gradient was used for the chromatographic separation: 0–2 min 0–20% B, 2–8 min 20–99% B, 8–9 min 99–99% B, 9–10 min 0% B. Full-scan MS spectra ( m/z 80–2000) were acquired in a data-dependant positive ion mode. Instrument parameters were set as follows: nebulizer gas (nitrogen) pressure 2 Bar, capillary voltage 4500 V, ion source temperature 180 °C, dry gas flow 9 l/min, and spectra rate acquisition 10 spectra/s. MS/MS fragmentation of 10 most intense selected ions per spectrum was performed using ramped collision induced dissociation energy, ranged from 10 to 50 eV to get diverse fragmentation patterns. MS/MS active exclusion was set after 4 spectra and released after 30 s.

Mass spectrometry data collected from the skin of 12 individuals can be found here MSV000081582.

LC-MS data processing

LC-MS raw data files were converted to mzXML format using Compass Data analysis software (Bruker Daltonics). MS1 features were selected for all LC-MS datasets collected from the skin of 12 individuals and blank samples (total 2275) using the open-source software MZmine [ 66 ]—see Additional file  4 : Table S3 for parameters. Subsequent blank filtering, total ion current, and internal standard normalization were performed (Additional file  5 : Table S4) for representation of relative abundance of molecular features (Fig.  2 , Additional file  1 : Figure S1), principal coordinate analysis (PCoA) (Fig.  4 ). For steroid compounds in Fig.  5 a–d, bile acids (Additional file  1 : Figure S5A-D), and acylcarnitines (Additional file  1 : Figure S5E, F) compounds, crop filtering feature available in MZmine [ 66 ] was used to identify each feature separately in all LC-MS data collected from the skin of 12 individuals (see Additional file  4 : Table S3 for crop filtering parameters and feature finding in Additional file  6 : Table S5).

Heatmap in Fig.  2 was constructed from the bucket table generated from LC-MS1 features (Additional file  7 : Table S6) and associated metadata (Additional file  8 : Table S7) using the Calour command line available here: https://github.com/biocore/calour . Calour parameters were as follows: normalized read per sample 5000 and cluster feature minimum reads 50. Procrustes and Pearson correlation analyses in Additional file  1 : Figures S10 and S11 were performed using the feature table in Additional file  9 : Table S8, normalized using the probabilistic quotient normalization method [ 67 ].

16S rRNA amplicon sequencing

16S rRNA sequencing was performed following the Earth Microbiome Project protocols [ 68 , 69 ], as described before [ 18 ]. Briefly, DNA was extracted using MoBio PowerMag Soil DNA Isolation Kit and the V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene was amplified using barcoded primers [ 70 ]. PCR was performed in triplicate for each sample, and V4 paired-end sequencing [ 70 ] was performed using Illumina HiSeq (La Jolla, CA). Raw sequence reads were demultiplexed and quality controlled using the defaults, as provided by QIIME 1.9.1 [ 71 ]. The primary OTU table was generated using Qiita ( https://qiita.ucsd.edu/ ), using UCLUST ( https://academic.oup.com/bioinformatics/article/26/19/2460/230188 ) closed-reference OTU picking method against GreenGenes 13.5 database [ 72 ]. Sequences can be found in EBI under accession number EBI: ERP104625 or in Qiita ( qiita.ucsd.edu ) under Study ID 10370. Resulting OTU tables were then rarefied to 10,000 sequences/sample for downstream analyses (Additional file  10 Table S9). See Additional file  11 : Table S10 for read count per sample and Additional file  1 : Figure S13 representing the samples that fall out with rarefaction at 10,000 threshold. The dataset includes 35 blank swab controls and 699 empty controls. The blank samples can be accessed through Qiita ( qiita.ucsd.edu ) as study ID 10370 and in EBI with accession number EBI: ERP104625. Blank samples can be found under the metadata category “sample_type” with the name “empty control” and “Swabblank.” These samples fell below the rarefaction threshold at 10,000 (Additional file  11 : Table S10).

To rule out the possibility that personal care products themselves contained the microbes that induced the changes in the armpit and foot microbiomes that were observed in this study (Fig.  7 ), we subjected the common personal care products that were used in this study during T4–T6 also to 16S rRNA sequencing. The data revealed that within the limit of detectability of the current experiment, few 16S signatures were detected. One notable exception was the most dominant plant-originated bacteria chloroplast detected in the sunscreen lotion applied on the face (Additional file  1 : Figure S9D), that was also detected on the face of individuals and at a lower level on their arms, sites where stable microbial communities were observed over time (Additional file  1 : Figure S9E, F). This finding is in agreement with our previous data from the 3D cartographical skin maps that revealed the presence of co-localized chloroplast and lotion molecules [ 18 ]. Other low-abundant microbial signatures found in the sunscreen lotion include additional plant-associated bacteria: mitochondria [ 73 ], Bacillaceae [ 74 , 75 ], Planococcaceae [ 76 ], and Ruminococcaceae family [ 77 ], but all these bacteria are not responsible for microbial changes associated to beauty product use, as they were poorly detected in the armpits and feet (Fig.  7 ).

To assess the origin of Cyanobacteria detected in skin samples, each Greengenes [ 72 ] 13_8 97% OTU table (per lane; obtained from Qiita [ 78 ] study 10,370) was filtered to only features with a p__Cyanobacteria phylum. The OTU maps for these tables—which relate each raw sequence to an OTU ID—were then filtered to only those observed p__Cyanobacteria OTU IDs. The filtered OTU map was used to extract the raw sequences into a single file. Separately, the unaligned Greengenes 13_8 99% representative sequences were filtered into two sets, first the set of representatives associated with c__Chloroplast (our interest database), and second the set of sequences associated with p__Cyanobacteria without the c__Chloroplast sequences (our background database). Platypus Conquistador [ 79 ] was then used to determine what reads were observed exclusively in the interest database and not in the background database. Of the 4,926,465 raw sequences associated with a p__Cyanobacteria classification (out of 318,686,615 total sequences), at the 95% sequence identity level with 100% alignment, 4,860,258 sequences exclusively recruit to full-length chloroplast 16S by BLAST [ 80 ] with the bulk recruiting to streptophytes (with Chlorophyta and Stramenopiles to a lesser extent). These sequences do not recruit non-chloroplast Cyanobacteria full length 16S.

Half-life calculation for metabolomics data

In order to estimate the biological half-life of molecules detected in the skin, the first four timepoints of the study (T0, T1, T2, T3) were considered for the calculation to allow the monitoring of personal beauty products used at T0. The IUPAC’s definition of biological half-life as the time required to a substance in a biological system to be reduced to half of its value, assuming an approximately exponential removal [ 81 ] was used. The exponential removal can be described as C ( t )  =  C 0 e − tλ where t represents the time in weeks, C 0 represents the initial concentration of the molecule, C ( t ) represents the concentration of the molecule at time t , and λ is the rate of removal [ http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/9780470140451.ch2/summary ]. The parameter λ was estimated by a mixed linear effects model in order to account for the paired sample structure. The regression model tests the null hypothesis that λ is equal to zero and only the significant ( p value < 0.05) parameters were considered.

Principal coordinate analysis

We performed principal coordinate analysis (PCoA) on both metabolomics and microbiome data. For metabolomics, we used MS1 features (Additional file  5 : Table S4) and calculated Bray–Curtis dissimilarity metric using ClusterApp ( https://github.com/mwang87/q2_metabolomics ).

For microbiome data, we used rarefied OTU table (Additional file 10 : Table S9) and used unweighted UniFrac metric [ 36 ] to calculate beta diversity distance matrix using QIIME2 (https://qiime2.org). Results from both data sources were visualized using Emperor ( https://biocore.github.io/emperor/ ) [ 28 ].

Molecular networking

Molecular networking was generated from LC-MS/MS data collected from skin samples of 11 individuals MSV000081582, using the Global Natural Products Social Molecular Networking platform (GNPS) [ 29 ]. Molecular network parameters for MS/MS data collected from all body parts of 11 individuals during T0–T9 MSV000081582 are accessible here http://gnps.ucsd.edu/ProteoSAFe/status.jsp?task=284fc383e4c44c4db48912f01905f9c5 . Molecular network parameters for MS/MS data collected from armpits T0–T3 MSV000081582 and deodorant used by individual 1 and 3 MSV000081580 can be found here http://gnps.ucsd.edu/ProteoSAFe/status.jsp?task=f5325c3b278a46b29e8860ec57915ad and here http://gnps.ucsd.edu/ProteoSAFe/status.jsp?task=aaa1af68099d4c1a87e9a09f398fe253 , respectively. Molecular networks were exported and visualized in Cytoscape 3.4.0. [ 82 ]. Molecular networking parameters were set as follows: parent mass tolerance 1 Da, MS/MS fragment ion tolerance 0.5 Da, and cosine threshold 0.65 or greater, and only MS/MS spectral pairs with at least 4 matched fragment ions were included. Each MS/MS spectrum was only allowed to connect to its top 10 scoring matches, resulting in a maximum of 10 connections per node. The maximum size of connected components allowed in the network was 600, and the minimum number of spectra required in a cluster was 3. Venn diagrams were generated from Cytoscape data http://gnps.ucsd.edu/ProteoSAFe/status.jsp?task=284fc383e4c44c4db48912f01905f9c5 using Cytoscape [ 82 ] Venn diagram app available here http://apps.cytoscape.org/apps/all .

Shannon molecular and bacterial diversity

The diversity analysis was performed separately for 16S rRNA data and LC-MS data. For each sample in each feature table (LC-MS data and microbiome data), we calculated the value of the Shannon diversity index. For LC-MS data, we used the full MZmine feature table (Additional file  5 : Table S4). For microbiome data, we used the closed-reference BIOM table rarefied to 10,000 sequences/sample. For diversity changes between timepoints, we aggregated Shannon diversity values across groups of individuals (all, females, males) and calculated mean values and standard errors. All successfully processed samples (detected features in LC-MS or successful sequencing with 10,000 or more sequences/sample) were considered.

Beauty products and chemical standards

Samples (10 mg) from personal care products used during T0 and T7–T9 MSV000081580 (Additional file  2 : Table S1) and common beauty products used during T4–T6 MSV000081581 (Additional file  3 : Table S2) were extracted in 1 ml 50:50 ethanol/water. Sample extractions were subjected to the same UPLC-Q-TOF MS method used to analyze skin samples and described above in the section “ Metabolite extraction and UPLC-Q-TOF mass spectrometry analysis .” Authentic chemical standards MSV000081583 including 1-dehydroandrostenedion (5 μM), chenodeoxyglycocholic acid (5 μM), dehydroisoandrosterone sulfate (100 μM), glycocholic acid (5 μM), and taurocholic acid (5 μM) were analyzed using the same mass spectrometry workflow used to run skin and beauty product samples.

Monitoring beauty product ingredients in skin samples

In order to monitor beauty product ingredients used during T4–T6, we selected only molecular features present in each beauty product sample (antiperspirant, facial lotion, body moisturizer, soothing powder) and then filtered the aligned MZmine feature table (Additional file  5 : Table S4) for the specific feature in specific body part samples. After feature filtering, we selected all features that had a higher average intensity on beauty product phase (T4–T6) compared to non-beauty product phase (T1–T3). The selected features were annotated using GNPS dereplication output http://gnps.ucsd.edu/ProteoSAFe/status.jsp?task=69319caf219642a5a6748a3aba8914df , plotted using R package ggplot2 ( https://cran.r-project.org/web/packages/ggplot2/index.html ) and visually inspected for meaningful patterns.

Random forest analysis

Random forest analysis was performed in MetaboAnalyst 3.0 online platform http://www.metaboanalyst.ca/faces/home.xhtml . Using LC-MS1 features found in armpit samples collected on T3 and T6. Random forest parameters were set as follows: top 1000 most abundant features, number of predictors to try for each node 7, estimate of error rate (0.0%).

BugBase analysis

To determine the functional potential of microbial communities within our samples, we used BugBase [ 83 ]. Because we do not have direct access to all of the gene information due to the use of 16S rRNA marker gene sequencing, we can only rely on phylogenetic information inferred from OTUs. BugBase takes advantage of this information to predict microbial phenotypes by associating OTUs with gene content using PICRUSt [ 84 ]. Thus, using BugBase, we can predict such phenotypes as Gram staining, or oxidative stress tolerance at each timepoint or each phase. All statistical analyses in BugBase are performed using non-parametric differentiation tests (Mann–Whitney U ).

Taxonomic plots

Rarefied OTU counts were collapsed according to the OTU’s assigned family and genus name per sample, with a single exception for the class of chloroplasts. Relative abundances of each family-genus group are obtained by dividing by overall reads per sample, i.e., 10,000. Samples are grouped by volunteer, body site, and time/phase. Abundances are aggregated by taking the mean overall samples, and resulting abundances are again normalized to add up to 1. Low-abundant taxa are not listed in the legend and plotted in grayscale. Open-source code is available at https://github.com/sjanssen2/ggmap/blob/master/ggmap/snippets.py

Dissimilarity-based analysis

Pairwise dissimilarity matrices were generated for metabolomics and 16S metagenomics quantification tables, described above, using Bray–Curtis dissimilarity through QIIME 1.9.1 [ 71 ]. Those distance matrices were used to perform Procrustes analysis (QIIME 1.9.1), and Mantel test (scikit-bio version 0.5.1) to measure the correlation between the metabolome and microbiome over time. The metabolomics dissimilarities were used to perform the PERMANOVA test to assess the significance of body part grouping. The PCoA and Procrustes plots were visualized in EMPeror. The dissimilarity matrices were also used to perform distance tests, comparing the distances within and between individuals and distances from time 0 to times 1, 2, and 3 using Wilcoxon rank-sum tests (SciPy version 0.19.1) [ 19 ].

Statistical analysis for molecular and microbial data

Statistical analyses were performed in R and Python (R Core Team 2018). Monotonic relationships between two variables were tested using non-parametric Spearman correlation tests. The p values for correlation significance were subsequently corrected using Benjamini and Hochberg false discovery rate control method. The relationship between two groups was tested using non-parametric Wilcoxon rank-sum tests. The relationship between multiple groups was tested using non-parametric Kruskal–Wallis test. The significance level was set to 5%, unless otherwise mentioned, and all tests were performed as two-sided tests.

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Acknowledgements

We thank all volunteers who were recruited in this study for their participation and Carla Porto for discussions regarding beauty products selected in this study. We further acknowledge Bruker for the support of the shared instrumentation infrastructure that enabled this work.

This work was partially supported by US National Institutes of Health (NIH) Grant. P.C.D. acknowledges funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Programme (Grant 634402). A.B was supported by the National Institute of Justice Award 2015-DN-BX-K047. C.C. was supported by a fellowship of the Belgian American Educational Foundation and the Research Foundation Flanders. L.Z., J.K, and K.Z. acknowledge funding from the US National Institutes of Health under Grant No. AR071731. TLK was supported by Vaadia-BARD Postdoctoral Fellowship Award No. FI-494-13.

Availability of data and materials

The mass spectrometry data have been deposited in the MassIVE database (MSV000081582, MSV000081580 and MSV000081581). Molecular network parameters for MS/MS data collected from all body parts of 11 individuals during T0-T9 MSV000081582 are accessible here http://gnps.ucsd.edu/ProteoSAFe/status.jsp?task=284fc383e4c44c4db48912f01905f9c5 . Molecular network parameters for MS/MS data collected from armpits T0–T3 MSV000081582 and deodorant used by individual 1 and 3 MSV000081580 can be found here http://gnps.ucsd.edu/ProteoSAFe/status.jsp?task=f5325c3b278a46b29e8860ec5791d5ad and here http://gnps.ucsd.edu/ProteoSAFe/status.jsp?task=aaa1af68099d4c1a87e9a09f398fe253 , respectively. OTU tables can be found in Qiita ( qiita.ucsd.edu ) as study ID 10370, and sequences can be found in EBI under accession number EBI: ERP104625.

Author information

Amina Bouslimani and Ricardo da Silva contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

Collaborative Mass Spectrometry Innovation Center, Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, San Diego, USA

Amina Bouslimani, Ricardo da Silva, Kathleen Dorrestein, Alexey V. Melnik, Tal Luzzatto-Knaan & Pieter C. Dorrestein

Department of Pediatrics, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92037, USA

Tomasz Kosciolek, Stefan Janssen, Chris Callewaert, Amnon Amir, Livia S. Zaramela, Ji-Nu Kim, Gregory Humphrey, Tara Schwartz, Karenina Sanders, Caitriona Brennan, Gail Ackermann, Daniel McDonald, Karsten Zengler, Rob Knight & Pieter C. Dorrestein

Department for Pediatric Oncology, Hematology and Clinical Immunology, University Children’s Hospital, Medical Faculty, Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany

Stefan Janssen

Center for Microbial Ecology and Technology, Ghent University, 9000, Ghent, Belgium

Chris Callewaert

Center for Microbiome Innovation, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92307, USA

Karsten Zengler, Rob Knight & Pieter C. Dorrestein

Department of Bioengineering, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA

Karsten Zengler & Rob Knight

Department of Computer Science and Engineering, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA

Department of Pharmacology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92037, USA

Pieter C. Dorrestein

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Contributions

AB and PCD contributed to the study and experimental design. AB, KD, and TLK contributed to the metabolite and microbial sample collection. AB contributed to the mass spectrometry data collection. AB, RS, and AVM contributed to the mass spectrometry data analysis. RS contributed to the metabolomics statistical analysis and microbial–molecular correlations. GH, TS, KS, and CB contributed to the 16S rRNA sequencing. AB and GA contributed to the metadata organization. TK, SJ, CC, AA, and DMD contributed to the microbial data analysis and statistics. LZ, JK, and KZ contributed to the additional data analysis. AB, PCD, and RK wrote the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Rob Knight or Pieter C. Dorrestein .

Ethics declarations

Ethics approval and consent to participate.

All participants signed a written informed consent in accordance with the sampling procedure approved by the UCSD Institutional Review Board (Approval Number 161730).

Competing interests

Dorrestein is on the advisory board for SIRENAS, a company that aims to find therapeutics from ocean environments. There is no overlap between this research and the company. The other authors declare that they have no competing interests.

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Additional files

Additional file 1:.

Figure S1. Beauty products ingredients persist on skin of participants. Figure S2. Beauty product application impacts the molecular and bacterial diversity on skin of 11 individuals while the chemical diversity from personal beauty products used by males and females on T0 is similar. Figure S3. Longitudinal impact of ceasing and resuming the use of beauty products on the molecular composition of the skin over time. Figure S4. Molecular networking to highlight MS/MS spectra found in each body part. Figure S5. Longitudinal abundance of bile acids and acylcarnitines in skin samples. Figure S6. Characterization of steroids in armpits samples. Figure S7. Characterization of bile acids in armpit samples. Figure S8. Characterization of Acylcarnitine family members in skin samples. Figure S9. Beauty products applied at one body part might affect other areas of the body, while specific products determine stability versus variability of microflora at each body site. Figure S10. Representation of Gram-positive bacteria over time and the molecular features from the shampoo detected on feet. Figure S11. Procrustes analysis to correlate the skin microbiome and metabolome over time. Figure S12. Correlation between specific molecules and bacteria that change over time in armpits of individual 11. Figure S13. Representation of the number of samples that were removed (gray) and those retained (blue) after rarefaction at 10,000 threshold. (DOCX 1140 kb)

Additional file 2:

Table S1. List of personal (T0 and T7–9) beauty products and their frequency of use. (XLSX 30 kb)

Additional file 3:

Table S2. List of ingredients of common beauty products used during T4–T6. (PDF 207 kb)

Additional file 4:

Table S3. Mzmine feature finding and crop filtering parameters. (XLSX 4 kb)

Additional file 5:

Table S4. Feature table for statistical analysis with blank filtering and total ion current normalization. (CSV 150242 kb)

Additional file 6:

Table S5. Feature table for individual feature abundance in armpits. (XLSX 379 kb)

Additional file 7:

Table S6. Feature table for Calour analysis. (CSV 91651 kb)

Additional file 8:

Table S7. Metadata for Calour analysis. (TXT 129 kb)

Additional file 9:

Table S8. feature table with Probabilistic quotient normalization for molecular–microbial analysis. (ZIP 29557 kb)

Additional file 10:

Table S9. OTU table rarefied to 10,000 sequences per sample. (BIOM 9493 kb)

Additional file 11:

Table S10. 16S rRNA sequencing read counts per sample. (TSV 2949 kb)

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Bouslimani, A., da Silva, R., Kosciolek, T. et al. The impact of skin care products on skin chemistry and microbiome dynamics. BMC Biol 17 , 47 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12915-019-0660-6

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DOI : https://doi.org/10.1186/s12915-019-0660-6

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essay about skin care

Six Authors and Poets Write Odes to the Beauty Products They Can’t Live Without

The eye creams, face masks, lip balms, and serums that spark inspiration—literary and otherwise.

bazaar may beauty issues writers

Every product on this page was chosen by a Harper's BAZAAR editor. We may earn commission on some of the items you choose to buy.

crystal kim

Growing up with a beauty-obsessed Korean mother, I spent hours watching her slather pearlescent, perfumed creams on her cheeks. My umma was always searching for the next best thing, and as an adult, I became a similar skin care enthusiast without any particular loyalties. I loved trying new products, and I was easily sold by glossy ads, friendly recommendations, and sleek packaging. Every time I finished a serum, I was on to the next. I don’t follow fashion trends, and I hate buying shoes. Skincare was my self-care indulgence, and I was a fickle consumer. That is, until I found my holy grail, my constant: the Burt’s Bees Deep Cleansing Cream.

In 2020, I was pregnant and living in Brooklyn, which was then the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic. Sirens blared day and night, and my anxieties shot to heights I hadn’t experienced before. As the baby kicked inside me, I worried about having to labor alone, the health of my loved ones, our unraveling world. There were so few things I could control, so I grasped for whatever I could. My skin care routine was one of them. I searched for clean, pregnancy-safe products free of parabens, salicylic acid, hydroquinone, and retinol. I tried product after product as angry pimples formed on my forehead and chin. Some cleansers left my face feeling too tight, while others were no match for my oily skin.

Burt’s Bees Deep Cleansing Cream was the surprising winner. I had picked it up on a whim during my last in-person pharmacy trip in early March. The packaging pleased me, with its simple illustration of one sweet flower. It's made with soap bark and chamomile, and without parabens, phthalates, or petrolatum. I bought the Burt’s Bees, and then left it in my closet. A few months later, when stores were closed and I had run out of my latest cleanser, I pulled it out. I loved it immediately. The white cream had a rich, thick consistency with a pleasant, mild scent. When I rubbed it on, the menthol made my skin tingle. I felt refreshed, comforted. Best of all: It kept my oiliness at bay all day.

Burt's Bees Burt's Bees Soap Bark & Chamomile Deep Cleansing Cream

Burt's Bees Soap Bark & Chamomile Deep Cleansing Cream

Burt’s Bees Deep Cleansing Cream made me realize that a skin care routine doesn’t have to be expensive or trendy to feel luxurious. Too often, I think that the higher the price point or catchier the copy, the nicer the product will be. I’ve definitely wasted money on items that weren’t a right fit. Burt’s Bees is the ideal. Found at most drugstores at the price of $7, it’s high quality while also being accessible and affordable.

I have to admit, I haven’t changed completely. After I wash my face, I still rotate through different toners, serums, and moisturizers. But I’ve found my go-to face wash, and I won’t stray. I love Burt’s Bees Deep Cleansing Cream. It comforts me, and I think we all can do with a little more comfort in our lives these days.

deesha

I discovered Oyin (pronounced “oy-yeen”) Handmade products in the mid-to-late aughts via social media—around the time I became active as a freelance writer and blogger. Oyin is the Yoruba word for “honey,” one of the hydrating ingredients in this Whipped Pudding, which is one of my beauty staples. True to its name, this hair and skin moisturizer is made with food-grade ingredients, including shea butter and aloe vera juice. It doesn’t contain any parabens, sulfates, petroleum, or silicones, and it’s cruelty free. And the best part? It’s made with love. Seriously, love is literally in the list of ingredients.

Oyin Handmade is a Baltimore-based, family-owned, woman-and Black-owned small business founded by Jamyla Bennu in 2003, back when the natural hair movement was just getting started. I can’t remember where I first saw Jamyla promoting her hair and skincare products—was it Facebook or Twitter?—but I do remember being excited about her commitment to using food-grade ingredients to create products that she and her family manufacture themselves.

The Whipped Pudding is a head-to-toe moisturizer. It gives my skin a nice glow without any greasy or oily residue. There’s some fragrance in it, but it’s pretty mild and pleasant, and it pairs well with lavender oil as a calming hand moisturizer during the day or as an all-over body moisturizer, part of my post-shower nighttime routine to help me wind down from the busyness of the day. In winter, I have to use it only once a day to keep the ash monster away, but sometimes, I use it twice a day anyway, because it feels so good. My left elbow gets an extra helping of pudding love at night, because the skin on it is rougher—the result of my habit of resting on it when I lie in bed reading.

Oyin Handmade Whipped Pudding

Whipped Pudding

At first, I hesitated to use this pudding as a face cream, after a bad experience with a big-name makeup and skincare line that shall not be named left me with dark spots caused by alcohol and fragrance. But I gave the pudding a try, first around my chin area, which tends to be drier than the rest of my face, for some reason. My face soaks it up during the day, and there have been no dark spots. The pudding is also an excellent night cream and a perfect creamy hair dressing for my locs. After washing and conditioning, I massage it into my scalp, and then coat each damp loc from root to end before twisting into a Bantu knot. It melts right into my hair, light enough to give it some shine without leaving any buildup behind.

I’ve never been one to invest a lot of time or money into pampering myself, but the pandemic has changed all of that. Pampering myself is something I can do to feel less like I’m stuck in the house and more like I’m relaxing and luxuriating at home . Now that I do my own pedicures at home, I try to give myself the full spa treatment. The pudding is especially good for smoothing rough heels.

gabrielle bellot

I remember the first time I took in the scent of cardamom. I was in Istanbul for a day, sipping a coffee infused with the spice, and the aroma surprised me: It was soft but seductive, faintly sweet and light against the darkness of the coffee. Later, I began adding cardamom powder, at times, to my coffee or tossing its pods into my curries if I had them. My favorite find, though, was a chocolate bar infused with the spice, a bite of which took me back, immediately, to the bustling chaos of that day in Turkey.

All this came back to me when I stumbled across a page for a remarkable lip balm: Beard and Lady’s Chocolate Cardamom Rose Lip Balm. An unrepentant addict for lip products—lip balms and lipsticks litter my desks and tables—I decided to give it a try. Immediately, I was amazed; here was a simple, slender product that not only evoked a pleasant day in my past, but worked incredibly well.

Rather than what more popular balms proffer—après-ski ads of Suzy Chapstick, vague claims about the magic of scarcely pronounceable ingredients—Beard and Lady makes its balm feel like the result of a personal journey. A small, woman-owned business out of the Ozarks, Beard and Lady’s offerings attempt to capture both their love of all things vintage—they describe their products as “apothecary-inspired”—and the spirit of the regions their founders have lived in: the Boston Mountains, the Near and Far East.

Beard and Lady Chocolate Cardamom Rose Lip Balm

Chocolate Cardamom Rose Lip Balm

Fittingly, the lip balm’s design indeed feels like something from a past era, its stylized font conjuring up images of fin-de-siècle apothecary signs, and, perhaps more meaningfully, the balm comes with a story of the owners’ travels. It “bring us back to of our first year of marriage in Cairo, Egypt,” they say on the Beard and Lady website. “Here we became acquainted with the smells and tastes of cardamom and rose that are often ingredients in Middle Eastern desserts and drinks.” I love the addition of rose, conjuring up the milky pink teas I’ve come to crave, but ultimately, the balm’s delicate but entrancing mélange of flavors is perfectly balanced, so no one note predominates.

Its other ingredients are simple but desirable: cocoa butter, shea butter, aloe vera, allowing it to be a complex lip balm with a decidedly non-complex recipe behind it. It glides on comfortably, leaving a simple shine that is pretty but not too high gloss, its texture creamy without feeling tacky. It lasts for hours at a time. And the tube is slim and oval shaped, allowing it to easily fit in a pocket or purse.

Lip balms are easy to overlook, the kind of product you may purchase on a whim in line at a pharmacy, but this one seems special to me. It feels elegant and luxurious, despite its low price. Most of all, though, it’s a charming memory through softly bewitching scents that I love reliving.

melissa febos is the author of whip smart, abandon me, and a new essay collection, girlhood, just out from bloomsbury

Until my early 30s, I had never spent more than $12 on a skincare product. My mother had rarely used anything but lip balm, and frugality was among the firmest tenets on which she raised me. The Bliss Triple Oxygenating Mask was a gift from a friend. Unwrapping it, I rolled my eyes.

It seemed, at first glance, to epitomize the absurdity of luxury skincare. The smooth cylindrical bottle with its trademark turquoise text resembled an actual ivory tower. It bore nothing but instructions for use. Not that more copy would have enlightened me; that was the job of the contents not the packaging. All the verbiage for fancy skincare is metaphorical—products enliven and energize , renew and rejuvenate , so that the consumer imagines the evidence of ordinary exhaustion and tragedy washed clean from her.

“You know how every once in a while you tell me my skin looks incredible?” my friend asked. I nodded reluctantly. Sometimes she actually sort of glowed. She tapped the bottle.

It sat on my bathroom shelf for a month. The problem with boycotting luxury products is that when you do possess them, they become like the settee with the plastic cover in the sitting room your aunt won’t let anyone sit in, because she’s saving it to impress the illustrious guests who do not exist. The first Diptyque candle I ever purchased, for example, took me three years to light.

Finally, a worthy event arrived. I uncapped the bottle and a salmon-colored substance dribbled out of it, emanating citrus. I massaged it onto my damp face as the instructions indicated. The promised froth formed, a chemical phenomenon as satisfying as whisked meringue. After it dissolved and I rinsed off the slimy coating, I realized why the people who pen descriptions of cosmetic products often have MFAs. To convey the effect of the foam on my complexion immediately forces me into the realm of metaphor: My skin gleamed, no, glowed. It looked more awake somehow. It was goddamned energized.

Bliss Triple Oxygenating Mask

Triple Oxygenating Mask

The Bliss website reveals that the Triple Oxygenating Mask contains EUK 134, hydrolyzed soy protein, and something called Fluid 02, which sounds like something Willy Wonka would expound upon while giving a tour of his chocolate factory. There’s also rice bran and grapeseed extracts. I could just as easily be reading the contents of a protein bar from Whole Foods.

While we strive to understand the mechanisms that bring us happiness, not knowing is sometimes preferable. As a writer, I spend plenty of time trying to understand things. My new book revisits the trials of my adolescence and the ways that patriarchy has conditioned my thinking. To seek an informed relationship to some things can liberate us, especially systems of oppression and the ways that they discipline us to perpetuate their harms. Understanding how a foaming mask operates has absolutely no bearing on its function.

So before each event on my upcoming virtual book tour, I will ritually massage it onto my damp skin until a full froth forms. I will wait five minutes, and then rinse. I will delight in my energized complexion and bring my glowing face to the glowing screen, again and again and again.

safiya sinclair

Every night, my face slathered in rich cream and thoughts pointing outward, I think of her. My grandmother, Isabel Hacker, who died before I could meet her. The only picture of her in existence is a small, wallet-sized print, a spectral black-and-white photograph that captures her quiet demeanor, her nap dress hanging slightly off her slender frame, her hair cut short atop her head, the see-through frames of her reading glasses giving a clear view into her piercing gaze. The picture preserves her—unblemished, without frown lines, without crow’s feet, without dark circles. This face, for me, has always been the exemplar of beauty, the one I am chasing, serum after serum.

I am now older than my grandmother was when she died, untimely, at 32. I have begun to outlive her face, as each year brings beginnings of my own frown lines, crow’s feet, and dark circles. Oh, the dark circles. Ever since I was a child, I’ve had slight tear-trough hollows under my eyes, that sunken dip I’ve come to learn is either a sign of sleeplessness, aging, or frustratingly for me, hereditary. By high school, my dark circles started emerging, hollows deepened by a young poet’s habit of writing into the witching hour. On early school mornings, my classmates would ask either if I’d gotten enough sleep or if I’d just woken up.

Revision Skincare D.E.J Eye Cream

D.E.J Eye Cream

This is my biggest problem area, one I have spent many years sampling product after product hoping to prevent, now trying to remedy. I’ve tested everything: myriad creams with avocado and vitamin C extract, jade rollers, caffeine serums, old-school cucumbers, tea bags, and light-diffusing concealers. My hope, like my hunt, was futile. After learning that most eye products don’t actually treat dark circles, but instead artificially cover them up, I abandoned the chase.

Then I tried Revision Skincare’s D.E.J Eye Cream, and within a few weeks began to see honest-to-goodness luminous results. Was I imagining it? The all-too-familiar tear-trough hollows slowly filling out, the fine lines smoothing, the brightening of those persistent under-eye shadows. It converted me. The cream is lushly moisturizing, soothing, and pearlescent. And unlike most other eye treatments, it can also be applied along the upper eyelids to prevent hooding and creasing above the eye.

And so, my holy grail—I begin and end each day with it, a drop of pearl under the eyes, fighting the genetic shadows. And she emerges again in the mirror when I wake, my grandmother, elegant and unaging, her face bright and ethereal and alive, bewitching me to beauty.

tanaïs

Each new decade of our lives marks a period of transition for our skin. In the first few years of my 30s, hormonal, cystic acne breakouts left marks that seemed indelible. Gone were the days of mindlessly picking blemishes after a late, dehydrated night of drinking and smoking. I could no longer trust that my skin would shed hyperpigmentation as easily. Rather than seeing these deeper spots of melanin as a natural sign of healing, I saw the galaxy of scars as proof of harm I’d inflicted on myself, as undeniable signs of aging—a strange feeling I’d never experienced. How naive of me to believe that I’d always be able to slide by on minimal upkeep.

I washed my face once a day at that point. I tried K-Beauty and oil cleansing, despite the high-end price points of snail mucin and botanical oils, they worsened my condition, clogging pores and reactivating the cycle of bump, pick, scar. I concealed and highlighted to disguise the spots. For a while, this false, painted glow picked up my mood, but I wanted to prevent the acne altogether. Somehow, I felt as confounded as I’d been as a teenager. This era for my skin necessitated starting over; I needed adult products.

Where to find products that would work for my deep brown skin? As a femme of color, I’ve always had a double consciousness around skincare and makeup—ever since my youth, skin treatments and color ranges of cosmetics often did not imagine me. This was part of why I started my own beauty and fragrance brand; this is why I write histories about my people, whom I’ve never encountered in American literature. When my skin no longer felt like what I’d always known, I knew I had to find a way back to myself.

MS Skincare Enlighten Retexturizing Glycolic Treatment

Enlighten Retexturizing Glycolic Treatment

Then I found M.S Skincare’s Enlighten Glycolic Retexturizing Treatment, a composition by Ayurvedic herbalist Anit Hora. I had no idea what to expect when I purchased a bottle. I almost didn’t want to have any expectations—the best way, I’ve found, to go about any intimate relationship. I’d taken a few Ayurvedic apothecary classes back when I lived in New Delhi in the mid-aughts, so I had some idea of what ingredients to look for. My inner skeptic mistrusted the natural beauty blogosphere’s DIY turmeric and honey masks that never quite worked. The beauty of Enlighten awaited me.

This rose-hued and rosewater-scented miracle in a bottle features extracts known since the time of the ancients in South Asia and Persia, each beloved for their skin-saving properties: sandalwood, hibiscus, neem, and turmeric. These botanicals work synergistically with glycolic acid, enhancing the power of this alpha hydroxy acid extracted from sugarcane. Something of an East–West balance, where the ancestral and the modern coexist.

Enlighten, the heart of my M.S Skincare night ritual, became the map guiding me with knowledge much older than myself, activating a process of shedding dead skin to be born anew.

Headshot of Jenna Rosenstein

Jenna Rosenstein is the Beauty Director at Harper's BAZAAR across both print and digital. While attending NYU, she held internships at Women’s Wear Daily, Bloomingdale’s, Harper’s BAZAAR, and Allure, the latter of which she parlayed into her first job as the Beauty Assistant. She left Allure three years later as the Senior Beauty Editor. She spent a few months at Refinery29 overseeing branded content in the same title, before finally landing back at BAZAAR to manage all beauty content. When she's not testing every lipstick known to mankind, getting zapped by new lasers, or interviewing experts and celebrities, you can find Rosenstein at home in New Jersey with her son, husband, and black cat named Maddie.

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