L’Oréal partners uBiome for skin microbiome

Technology Incubator of L’Oréal has collaborated with bio-technology firm uBiome to advance research into the skin microbiome.

Microbiome is an aggregate of microorganisms that live on the skin and protect it against germs.

This partnership will leverage L’Oréal’s expertise in the science of skincare and uBiome’s know-how in microbiome research.

The companies intend to conduct new research into the skin’s bacterial ecosystem and with the aim of informing product development at L’Oréal.

L’Oréal’s Technology Incubator vice president Guive Balooch said: “At L’Oréal, our goal is to advance scientific research and leverage new technologies to change this relationship, by allowing deeper levels of personalisation.

“The microbiome has major implications for skin’s overall appearance and health. With the global reach of uBiome’s community of citizen scientists, our two companies will be able to extend our respective research in this space, and better understand the interplay between bacterial diversity and skin health.”

L’Oréal began its research on microbiome in 2006 and has published 50 papers on the subject. Its research includes the link between microbiome, skin barrier function, and immune responses.

L’Oréal’s research also focuses on the evolution of the microbiome on ageing skin that led to several skincare products being launched across its Active Cosmetics Division, including the brands La Roche-Posay and Vichy, since 2013.

L’Oréal Research and Innovation division research director Luc Aguilar said: “In the past several years, L’Oréal’s research into skin microbiome has accelerated thanks to new genomic technologies and big data analysis.

“A major finding from our research shows that skin disorders, much like gut ones, are often linked to a problem of microbial imbalance. Good proportions of each microorganism are key to ensuring skin health.”