There’s no mistaking the connection between the body’s microbiome and its health. In fact, research shows that dysbiosis in the skin microbiome is associated with a host of skin issues. That’s why we’re excited to announce that OS-01 FACE has been clinically validated to support the skin microbiome. As always, we’re sharing the data so you can see the health benefits of OS-01 FACE for yourself. Let’s dive in.
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Study Description
The study was conducted by a third party, called HelloBiome, a research organization that focuses on understanding the role that cosmetics and personal care products play in the microbiome of different regions of the body. They conduct clinical studies, gathering samples of participants’ microbiomes before and after using a specific product. Using Next Generation Sequencing technology and pulling from the latest research within the field, HelloBiome analyzes the diversity and composition of each participant’s microbiome, before and after treatment, to determine whether the observed changes are helpful or harmful.In this study, 38 participants ages 40 - 60 with diverse ethnicities and skin types applied OS-01 FACE morning and night for 6 weeks. Using at-home sampling kits, participants collected samples of their facial skin microbiome before and after treatment with OS-01 FACE. Their samples were collected after overnight washouts of all skin care and beauty products to isolate their skin microbiome.
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Types of Analysis
To understand the impact of OS-01 FACE on participants’ facial skin microbiomes before and after treatment, HelloBiome analyzed the microbiome changes using the following calculations, which are standard within the field.
- Taxonomy for Bacteria and Fungi: Identifying the species and relative abundance of each species of the microbiome.
- Bacterial/fungal ratio: The ratio of bacteria to fungi, which can be indicative of the health of the microbiome.
- Shannon Diversity to measure Alpha Diversity: A measure of the composition and relative abundance of the species within the microbiome.
- Bray-Curtis Dissimilarity to measure Beta Diversity: A measure of the similarity between the microbiome compositions.
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What is the microbiome?
Think of it as a bustling ecosystem of microorganisms, primarily composed of bacteria and fungi that live on your skin, scalp, vulva, mouth, and gut. Just like any ecosystem, maintaining a balance here is crucial for overall health. For example, imbalances in the gut microbiome can be associated with gastrointestinal inflammatory, metabolic, neurological, cardiovascular, and respiratory conditions and illnesses. (1)Your skin’s microbiome acts as a protective shield, fending off harmful pathogens and strengthening and regulating your skin’s immune responses. Disturbances in the skin microbiome can lead to conditions like acne, atopic dermatitis, and dandruff. (2) That’s why protecting and nourishing your skin microbiome is so important — it’s a simple way to keep your skin healthy and thriving.
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How does your skin microbiome change with age?
As you get older, your skin microbiome becomes more diverse, (3) (4) (5) which contributes to the visible signs of aging, including wrinkles. (5) Additionally, the abundance of a bacteria called Cutibacterium acnes (C. acnes) has been shown to significantly decrease with age and lead to an imbalance in the skin microbiome. (3)(4) HelloBiome observed this phenomenon in their research as well, finding that participants with low levels of C. acnes also reported having skin issues. (6)
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Results
After sequencing the microbiomes of each participant before and after treatment with OS-01 FACE, the data was compiled and analyzed to determine whether changes had occurred. Not only were there no negative effects on the facial skin microbiome, OS-01 FACE induced changes that may actually improve skin function and longevity.
Let’s break down the associations and findings as seen in the chart above.
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Microbiome Grade
Based on the microbial compositions of each participant, a microbiome grade was assigned before and after treatment with OS-01 FACE.
Participants experienced a balanced microbiome profile (Grade B) before and after treatment, with a significant positive shift. This indicates that overall, participants had an adequate amount of beneficial and non-harmful bacteria and fungi on the skin before and after treatment, with a significant improvement after treatment.
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Microbial Load Ratio
The microbial load ratio is simply the average ratio of total bacteria to total fungi. A large shift in the bacteria-to-fungi ratio after treatment could indicate a disruption in the microbiome balance.
There was no significant difference in the microbial load ratio before and after treatment with OS-01 FACE. This indicates that the use of OS-01 FACE does not cause a disruption in the bacterial-fungal balance.
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Shannon Index to measure Alpha Diversity
The Shannon Index takes into account the number of different microbial species and their relative abundance (how many of each species there are). This provides insight into the overall richness and evenness of the skin microbiome before and after use of OS-01 FACE. A higher index indicates a greater diversity, however determining whether a higher index is good or bad depends on whether the increase was caused by beneficial or harmful bacteria.
After treatment with OS-01 FACE, there was a significant decrease in the Shannon Index for bacteria, meaning the bacteria diversity decreased. There was a non-significant decrease in the fungi diversity.
To determine whether this change in bacterial diversity was beneficial or harmful, we looked to specific species that were present in the participants’ microbiomes.
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Bacteria and Fungi Top 10
Thanks to sequencing technology, the 10 most abundant bacteria and fungi in the participants’ microbiomes were identified before and after treatment with OS-01 FACE.
There was a significant decrease in the relative abundance of “Other” bacteria and a strong trend towards an increase in C. acnes before and after treatment with OS-01 FACE.
The lower bacterial diversity experienced after treatment with OS-01 FACE was therefore caused by an increase in C. acnes and a decrease in “Other” bacterial species.
Don’t let the name fool you – C. acnes is known to contribute to balanced skin function through lipid modulation, niche competition, and oxidative stress mitigation. Low abundance of C. acnes is frequently associated with skin disorders such as acne, atopic dermatitis, rosacea, and psoriasis. (7) Additionally, the abundance of Cutibacterium, and C. acnes in particular, has been shown to decrease with age. (3)(4)(6) Therefore the changes in bacterial composition and diversity from treatment with OS-01 FACE, caused by an increase in C. acnes, are predicted to be beneficial to the skin’s function and longevity.
This aligns with another clinical study, which shows that OS-01 FACE reduces wrinkles, improves skin’s barrier function, and improves skin’s overall appearance within 12 weeks. (8)
There were no significant differences in the relative abundance of fungi before and after treatment with OS-01 FACE, indicating that OS-01 FACE did not disrupt the fungal composition.
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Bray-Curtis Dissimilarity Index to measure Beta Diversity
The Bray-Curtis Dissimilarity Index is a measurement of the similarity of the microbiome composition. The final result is a value between 0 and 1, with 0 indicating a highly similar microbiome composition before and after treatment, and a 1 indicating a highly different microbiome composition before and after treatment.
There was no shift in the bacteria or fungal profiles before and after treatment, indicating that OS-01 FACE did not cause a significant change in the skin’s microbiome composition. Given that the microbiome composition was balanced and healthy for each participant before treatment with OS-01 FACE, this means that OS-01 FACE did not negatively disrupt an already healthy microbiome.
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Conclusions
This data indicates the fact that OS-01 FACE supports the skin microbiome based on the following findings:
- A significant positive shift of the microbiome grade
- No significant changes in the ratio of bacteria to fungi
Additionally, the specific changes observed, including a decrease in microbial diversity and an increase in Cutibacterium, C. acnes, are opposite of what’s observed with age, indicating that OS-01 FACE may improve the longevity of skin.
References
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6314516/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7998121
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34890626/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28874721/
- https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fragi.2023.1304705/full
- Grace Park, et al. (2023), Accepted for Publication
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8003110/
- https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/jocd.16242
