As described in previous work, the use of synthetic chemical ingredients in modern cosmetics\nis postulated to be a cause of damage to the skin microbiome. The discovery that biodiversity on\nthe human skin is currently the only reliable indicator of skin health, meant that for the first time,\na mechanism to test for healthy skin was possible. Using this mechanism and in collaboration with The\nMedical University of Graz, who carried out the independent study, this work aimed to help answer\nwhether modern day synthetic cosmetics are a main cause of long-term damage to the skin microbiome.\nThirty-two human participants tested three different face washes for their effect on the skinâ??s microbial\ndiversity, along with skin pH, moisture and TEWL (trans-epidermal water loss), washing twice-a-day\nfor four weeks. The upper volar forearm of the volunteers was swabbed at the beginning, two weeks in\nand at the end of the four weeks. 16S rRNA sequencing was used. One leading â??naturalâ?? brand full\nof synthetic ingredients, a leading synthetic brand and a 100% natural face wash were used. Results\ngive the first indications of a link between synthetic ingredients in a cosmetics product and its effect\non skin microbiome biodiversity. It paves the way for future studies on the topic with a larger sample\ngroup, longer test period and standardised methodology to create a universal standard for testing the\nhealth of skin using benchmark diversity values. This can be used in the future to test the effectiveness\nof cosmetics or ingredients on skin health, leading to the restriction in cosmetics of products proven to\nharm the skinâ??s natural environment.
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