China Beauty Trends: The Era of Microecological Skincare has Arrived

Win in efficacy, welcome the future. 5th CHAILEEDO Conference on China’s Cosmetic Trends and China Cosmetic Efficacy Trend Exhibition, themed "Win in Efficacy", was held in Hangzhou on September 22nd. At the conference, Liu Zhi, a professor from the College of Life Science & Technology of Huazhong University of Science and Technology, delivered a keynote speech.

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The following is the transcript of the speech.

I have been engaged in microbiology research. I used to study intestinal microorganisms and started to do work related to skin microecology the year before last. I would like to take this opportunity to share with you the summary of our scientific research and our view on the trend. I hope to help you and promote the development of the whole industry.

The title of my talk is: Global Perspectives on Microecological Research. Three aspects will be elaborated.

The first is skin microecology, what exactly are microorganisms?

Microorganisms themselves are very small, all the little things that are not visible to the naked eye. But, of course they are also living organisms. Life is generally divided into three main categories: animals, plants, and microorganisms, and microorganisms are divided into eukaryotic cells, such as fungi. There are two types: prokaryotic cell types, and non-cellular microorganisms.

The development of the microecology industry has been made possible by microbiomics research. Through the study of a variety of histological techniques, the data really shows that the microbiome as a whole can work on the human body.

Microbiomics and microecology research has revealed that microorganisms are closely related to life and cover almost all life functions. The main microorganisms now include five major ecosystems: the oral cavity, the skin, the gastrointestinal tract, the reproductive tract, and the respiratory tract, all of which have microbial communities functioning within them. Their functions are almost linked to bone development, disease, and all kinds of skin health, so microbiological research has attracted a lot of attention.

Second, the whole microecology program has received a lot of research and investment in the health field. Global research dynamics in skin microecology.

Skin microbiology, which is a whole of various types of microorganisms together with skin surface cells, various secretions, and microenvironment, which work together to maintain the microecological balance of the skin. Various diseases, such as atopic dermatitis, like acne, and psoriasis are all basic manifestations of microbial dysbiosis. Together, these microorganisms guard our skin and they form a microbial barrier, a chemical barrier, an immune barrier, and a physical barrier.

Skin microbes have five main functions.

1. Metabolism, which is able to metabolize the sebaceous substances secreted by the sebaceous glands and inhibit the growth of pathogenic microorganisms.

2. Nutritional role, producing multi-chain fatty acids, which are direct nutrients for skin cells.

3. Immune effect, secreting or inducing the body's own production of antibacterial peptides, inhibiting the reproduction of pathogenic bacteria.

4.Sebum formation of sebum substances for degradation and removal of metabolites.

5.Formation of a stable and harmonious biological barrier.

Skin type is naturally also related to skin microbial structure. This is the research of Ms. He Congfen from Beijing Technology and Business University, who found that different skin types have multiple classification in microbial types obviously such as neutral, oily and comprehensive skin structure. In other words, it is very important to design different micro-ecological care programs for different skin types.

The microbial structure of sensitive skin is very interesting. There is a structurally big difference between the skin index of sensitive skin and normal skin. But there is no big difference in microbial structure, and it may be in some rare species. That is, there may be some special treatments needed for sensitive skin care regimens.

Then look at whether cosmetic use has any changes for the skin microbiome. The choice of preservatives is critical. Different preservatives have different effects on propionic acid, Acinetobacter, Staphylococcus aureus, and Staphylococcus epidermidis.

That is, it is important to pay attention to the preservative test when designing cosmetics, not just to keep the regular pathogenic bacteria at bay, but actually to have a very important impact on the skin flora as well.

Korean studies have found that cosmetic use can affect skin flora. For example, as using cosmetics after 4 weeks, the growth of Propionibacterium and Streptococcus are promoted, which may be the ultimate role of cosmetics.

The above story tells a lot of scientific research, which fully demonstrates the relationship between skin microorganisms and skin function, let's look at the application in the product world.

That is, thirdly, skin microorganism applications and trends.

In the era of "micro-ecological" skincare is coming. The original cosmetics are from the beginning of the untreated plant and animal, mineral ingredients, to the natural plant extracts. Now, it has reached the era of bio-fermentation, bionic technology and micro-ecological skincare.

Micro-ecological skincare can make our skin ecology more balanced and help the skin "wall" structure become stronger, and repair the skin micro-ecology as a whole. It is not a single efficacy factor to act, but the overall skin micro-ecological balance.

The micro-ecological skincare market has also become a global trend with a CAGR of 6.1% from 2019 to now, of which China far ahead of international trends. Major beauty companies have also made micro-ecological skincare a strategic development plan for their own companies. L'Oreal, Estee Lauder, and P&G launched micro-ecological products and these have become breakout products in the market without exception.

In the application of sunscreen, such as cyanobacteria. It can produce a substance that will become a microbial sunscreen, such as amino acids, which can effectively isolate UV rays.

There are also applications in dermatology. Overall, clinical trials of skin microecological agents have many applications in atopic dermatitis, acne, rashes, wrinkle removal, psoriasis, etc.

I would like to talk about some cases of products such as L'Oreal's Youth Code, which are popular in China. And SK-II Facial Treatment Essence is a yeast fermentation solution with a minimalist formula. And bifidus yeast (bifidobacteria) and hyaluronic acid work in Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair. Dr. ALVA, a Chinese brand specializing in skin microecology, focuses on probiotic lactic acid bacteria fermentation solution.

Another case: BASF launched Scalposine, a scalp micro-ecological care product. Valmont launched micro-ecological skincare, which is based on the concept of maintaining the balance of the skin microbiome. The company AO+ is a researcher of sweat gland substances, which effectively degrade ammonia and nitrogen. Sequential Skin, a Singaporean start-up, is a pioneer in precision therapy, targeting products by detecting skin micro-ecological types.

In summary: skin is an ecosystem, whether it is due to social or personal reasons that lead to imbalance of skin micro-ecology, it needs to be turned into a healthy ecology through ecological restoration. We need to understand the user's skin, the user's microecology. We need to understand the microecological structure after AI data analysis to launch accurate strategic formulations. Through strain optimization and efficacy, colony network construction, we can develop microecological products, which is also the overall idea of our project in Guangzhou Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau Bay Area.

We have produced some patents and products after more than a year of research, and we hope to meet with you colleagues in the market next year.

Q&A: Is there any basis for the claim that some skincare products accelerate skin metabolism and cell metabolic cycle from 28 days to 21 days?

Liu Zhi: From the perspective of scientific research, what we need to do is to learn from nature, not to change nature artificially. The concept of ecology, in general, does not emphasize on taking something further and enhancing it. From the point of view of doing research, nature's choice is the optimal choice.

For example, during the COVID-19, many people asked me if the COVID-19 was man-made. I myself have engaged in some of the research on the COVID-19, and I can tell you that it is not possible. Because laboratory design modification is very difficult to do. It is all caused by natural selection and I personally do not agree with forcing the metabolic genes to change.

Of course, if a person's metabolism is slow due to various diseases and needs to be adjusted to a normal rhythm, this is possible. I always believe that human beings should learn from nature, rather than artificially changing these things.

Q&A: I would like to ask you what research and what interesting findings your lab has done on skin microecology?

Liu Zhi: We are involved in the skin microecology industry from 2019. We are still based on the basic strategy of microbial research. First of all, we build a bacterial library. We have more than 5,000 strains of microbial library from human health humans and then evaluate the efficacy. At present, we are also working with Beijing Technology and Business University and other units to do the skin propriety project. We combined microecology and skin propriety hoping to achieve accurate skin microecology typing and promoting precision skincare products. At present, we have two teams in Wuhan and Guangzhou to conduct scientific research and translational work respectively and welcome you to visit.