In short it is; a diverse, invisible ecosystem of trillions of bacteria, fungi, viruses and mites that live on the human body. It acts as a protective shield, regulating the immune system, fighting off harmful pathogens and maintaining skin’s natural moisture barrier.

A thriving, well-balanced microbiome is essential for healthy, glowing skin. The exact makeup of this ecosystem depends heavily on the specific location on your body, your environment and your genetics.

Who Lives on Your Skin?

Your skin is home to a unique blend of microorganisms:

Bacteria - The most abundant residents; bacteria such as staphylococcus epidermis and cutibacterium acnes, which help keep the harmful bacteria at bay.

Fungi - Species like malassezia naturally live in oil-rich areas like the face and scalp, though an overgrowth can sometimes lead to issues like dandruff.

Viruses & Mites - Viruses (bacteriophages) regulate bacterial populations, while microscopic demodex mites live harmlessly in hair follicles

Why it Matters?

Think of your microbiome as a microscopic security team and its primary jobs include:

Blocking Invaders - Helpful microbes produce natural antibiotics and consume the resources that harmful pathogens need to survive

Educating your Immune System - Your microbes send signals that teach your body’s immune system to distinguish between harmless residents and dangerous invaders

Maintaining the Barrier - Microbes break down substances on your skin to create a slightly acidic environment (the “acid mantle”), which keeps the skin barrier strong and prevents moisture loss

What Happens When It’s Unbalanced?

When the delicate balance of your microbiome is disrupted it can trigger or worsen various skin conditions. For instance, an overgrowth of specific cutibacterium acnes strains can lead to acne breakouts, while loss of microbial diversity is often seen in eczema (atopic dermatitis) and psoriasis.

What Happens When I Damage My Skin Microbiome?

Known as dybiosis damaging your skin’s microbiome weakens your skin’s natural defence system, allowing harmful bacteria to multiply and moisture to escape. This imbalance compromises your skin barrier, which can lead to increased sensitivity, chronic dryness, redness and a sudden flare-up of breakouts or irritation. A damaged or disrupted microbiome can trigger several noticable changes to your skin:

Inflammation and Flare-ups - With the good, protective bacteria depleted normally harmless microbes can overgrow, triggering inflammatory responses. This is frequently linked to the worsening of conditions like acne, eczema, rosacea and psoriasis.

Dehydration and Dryness - Beneficial microbes help lock in moisture and produce lipids like ceramides. When they are destroyed, your skin loses its ability to retain water, leading to rough, flaky or tight-feeling skin.

Increased Vulnerability - A weakened microbiome makes your complexion highly reactive to everyday stressors like pollution, harsh weather and allergens. You may also become more susceptible to minor bacterial or fungal infections.

What Are The Common Causes of Microbiome Damage?

Damage to this delicate ecosystem is often caused by:

Over-Cleansing - Using harsh, high pH soaps or washing too frequently. This strips away the skin’s natural lipids, altering its protective acidic pH and depletes the “good” commensal bacteria that keep harmful microbes in check. This creates an environment where pathogens can thrive, leading to inflammation, dryness and barrier impairment.

Our skin’s pH balance is also called the “Acid Mantle.” Healthy skin has a slightly acidic pH of around 5.5 which is crucial for beneficial bacteria like staphylococcus epidermidis to thrive. Harsh soaps and frequent washing with alkaline cleansers (like bicarbonate soda, tradition saponified bar soaps or sulfates) disrupt this mantle raising the skin’s pH and slowing down the natural cell renewal.

Commensal bacteria feed on your skin’s natural oils and sweat to maintain a healthy balance. Over-cleansing removes these lipids, starving the good microbes and weakening the physical barrier which increases transepidermal water loss. When beneficial bacteria are wiped out the microbiome loses its protective shield. This allow opportunistic, harmful species (such as staphylococcus aureus or acne causing bacteria) to multiply and dominate the ecosystem.

To compensate for the stripped lipids, your skin’s sebaceous glands often go into overdrive, producing excess oil. This sudden influx of food can alter microbial communities and lead to breakouts or fungal overgrowths.

Overuse of Active Ingredients - This is an important one. Overusing active ingredients (like retinoids, AHAs/BHAs and vitamin C) damages the skin microbiome by altering the skin’s natural pH, destroying the protective lipid barrier and non-selectively killing beneficial microbes. The overuse of these products disrupts the skin’s ecosystem in several distinct ways…

Altering the acid mantle by using highly concentrated acids and alkaline cleansers which spike or lower the skin’s pH. This shift makes the environment inhospitable for “good” bacteria and allows opportunistic, harmful microbes to rapidly multiply.

Your skin’s lipid barrier is a combination of natural oils (sebum) and dead skin cells. This physical shield acts as both a moisture lock and a primary food source for your resident commensal microbes. Exfoliants and strong acne treatments (like benzoyl peroxide) dissolve these lipids and strip away the habitat where good bacteria live. Without this protective shield, the skin suffers from increased transepidermal water loss and becomes defenceless against the environmental stressors.

A diverse and robust microbiome works collaboratively to crowd out pathogens and defend the skin from infections. Powerful chemical treatments and preservatives in skincare do not possess the ability to distinguish between “good” and “bad” bacteria. Overuse wipes out the beneficial flora heavily lowering overall microbial diversity. When good bacteria are eliminated pathogens take over leading to chronic redness, irritation and acne.

If your microbiome has been damaged by active ingredients your skin will often display distinct warning signs by way of sudden reactivity (products that once felt good will now cause a stinging or burning sensation), persistent dryness (flaky, rough skin that does not improve even with heavy moisturising) or inflammatory breakouts (an increase in sore, red or inflamed breakouts as the skin loses its ability to fight off bacteria).

Product Overload - Using too many varying skincare products at once, which can feed the wrong bacteria or disrupt the skin’s natural pH balance. Skincare or cosmetic overload impairs your microbial ecosystem in several distinct ways. The skin’s protective acid mantle requires specific acidity to keep commensal (good) bacteria thriving and harmful bacteria at bay. Many cleansers and alkaline products raise the skin’s pH which promotes microbial dysbiosis, an imbalance that leaves the skin vulnerable to conditions like eczema and acne.

All water-containing skincare products rely on preservatives to prevent bacterial contamination in the bottle. When multiple products are layered, these preservatives remain active on the skin, indiscriminately killing the beneficial flora that defend your skin barrier.

[as an aside note, I did a lot of research before deciding on the right preservative to use, I use a combination of gluconolactone and sodium benzoate, these ingredients are instead known for being hydrating and beneficial to skin. Gluconolactone is a polyhydroxy acid (PHA) that acts as a humectant that out performs glycerine. It is ECOCERT approved, naturally derived and incredibly mild, being widely used in baby care and sensitive skin formulations without any adverse side effects]

Harsh surfactants and over-cleansing remove the sebum and lipids that beneficial microbes feed on. Without an adequate food source, beneficial colonies shrink, further weakening the skin’s natural defences.

Layering incompatible active ingredients (such as AHAs, BHAs, Retinols and Vitamin C) concurrently causes cumulative irritation and chemically “shocks” the delicate ecosystem, triggering inflammatory responses and breakouts.

How to Protect It

Harsh soaps, excessive scrubbing and antibiotic overuse can strip away your skin’s good bacteria. To keep your microbiome healthy:

Be Gentle - Use mild, pH-balanced and fragrance-free cleansers and creams and lotions that contain ceramides which can help rebuild our skin barrier and allow your natural flora to recover.

Support the Flora - Look for skincare products formulated with prebiotics (food for the good bacteria) or postbiotics (healthy by products of good bacteria)

Avoid Over-Cleansing - Only wash as frequently as necessary to preserve the skin’s natural oils and protective bacteria. For example, if you’re the type that likes to have a shower in the morning and a bath in the evening, opt for some relaxing bath salts over bubble baths that soak you in the same ingredients you’ll find in your bottle of body wash, just in higher concentrations.

Protecting your skin barrier involves a simplified routine focused on gentle cleansing, deep hydration and environmental defence. Eliminate harsh scrubs and active ingredients (like retinols or AHAs) while the barrier heals and rely on restorative ingredients like ceramides, hyaluronic acid, niacinamide and plant-based extracts that provide the same results without the disruption and side effects.

Strip Back Your Routine - Stop chemical exfoliants and aggressive treatments while your skin barrier heals to prevent further irritation. You can always introduce these back into your routine later as needed. Use a non-foaming, hydrating, fragrance-free cleanser or micellar water. Avoid long, hot showers which strip natural lipids. Always gently pat your face dry with a clean towel instead of dragging or rubbing

Focus on Barrier-Loving Ingredients - When choosing moisturisers and serums look for the following heavy hitters that mimic your skin’s natural moisture film. Ceramides; these are the vital lipids that act as the “mortar” holding your skin cells together. Hyaluronic Acid, Polyglutamic Acid and Glycerin; these are humectants that draw water into the skin to restore hydration. Niacinamide; this is known to reduce inflammation and boost the skin’s natural production of ceramides.

Fortify & Protect - If you’re using my products apply your night cream over your serum to lock in the hydration and prevent water loss. If you’re using a different brand, follow their instructions. UV rays severerly damage the barrier. Apply a broad-spectrum mineral sunscreen daily. If you’re using my products no need to worry as all my day creams contain zinc oxide at 25%.

Lifestyle Adjustments - Drink plenty of water and prioritise adequate sleep, which is when your skin goes into repair mode. Use thicker creams and lotions in dry, cold winter months and switch to lighter, hydrating lotions in the summer.