The microbiota is composed of a well-balanced population of commensal, symbiotic and pathogenic microorganisms. They interact with each other and with human cells. This interaction between a host organism and its microbiota is called the HOLOBIONTE.

More than 10,000 DIFFERENT MICROBE SPECIES live in the human body and about 106 microorganisms/cm2 are on the SKIN SURFACE. The MICROBIOME defines the microbial genome. We carry over a hundred times more bacterial genes than human genes.

The Holobiont is one of the great trends for 2022. The Human Microbiome Project, supported by the National Institutes of Health, started in 2007. In their first publication in 2019, the team announced the identification of about 24 million bacterial in the mouth microbiome and 22 million in the gut microbiome. The team estimated that the total number of genes in the collective human microbiome, composed of bacteria, fungi, protozoa, and viruses, could be around 232 million. So we humans are mostly microbes!
To understand the interactions between the human body and its microbiome, one must consider the ubiquitous nature of host-associated microbes and their role in host biology, ecology, and health, and consider the microbiome as the fourth skin layer, as it significantly impacts the homeostasis and health of other layers, and vice versa.

The exposome and internal stress can imbalance this microbiota/organism collaboration and induce damage that affect the skin’s appearance and protective function.  An imbalance is correlated with inflammatory skin issues, barrier function alteration, dryness, etc.

The skin microbiota and the holobiont hold a lot of secrets yet to be revealed and represents a plethora of opportunities for the cosmetic industry.

Additional Resources:

• Skin Microbiota, Well-being and Harmony webinar by Sederma
• Sederma’s microbiota harmony solutions: Ecodermine™, HairSpa™, Sebuless™, Apiscalp™ and coming soon BB-Biont™