What the hell is "microbiome friendly" standard?

This is my own personal opinion and you have every right to do not agree with me but I personally am not a fan of certification for this and certification for that. I believe (very old fashioned) that a good and reasonable product sells for itself without the knick-knack of these certifications but in a world saturated with consumer products and with the consumer being overwhelmed by the diversity of the products and misleading claims, some certifications help as a road map.

As a skin care (or hair care) formulator you are either certified or consider getting certified. Well the choice is really not limited:

• vegan
• cruelty free
• organic (which itself goes into many certifications)
• gluten free
• Halal

and tens of others that I can't remember now.

In this world of certifications there is one that I find reasonable and I would go for it if I were a manufacturer myself  and that is: "microbiome friendly" certification.

For decades (rather centuries) we have lived without knowing about the tiny particles that live in and on us. The term "microbiome" is rather new but the knowledge that different bacteria, fungi and viruses live in and on us dates back to several decades ago. However only during the last two decades and thanks to huge improvements in sampling and analysis, the real dimensions and diversities are gradually coming to light.

Human microbiome project, "HMP" the biggest microbiological project of all times was launched as an interdisciplinary project in microbiology by NIH (the national institute of health) in order to analyse and prepare a map of the human microbiome. The first phase of this project was finished in 2013 with tons of file information about the human microbiome.

It is now believed that all skin disorders, both pathogenic and non-pathogenic are related to a disrupted balance in the microbiome ecosystem which consists of trillions of microorganisms: an average healthy adult body hosts up to 39 trillion bacteria (compared to ca. 37 trillion cells).

The more we learn about the microbiome the less I am surprised about all the skin disorders, sensitizations and allergic reactions affecting the health of modern human and pets.

For decades, we have been consuming drugstore and mainstream crap and our daily hygienical ritual has expanded from washing with the good old soap to using multiple products over almost all parts of the skin (and even all body openings from mouth to other sensitive cavities that I don't name here). Mouth wash, hand wash, intimate wash, lip scrub, neck cream, scalp toner and the list goes on. All of these products have been developed without the slightest consideration about the microbiome (because nobody new about it). To be exact, we have been torturing those poor creatures on us and distorting their balance with each single application.

When you really start to learn and understand about the microbiome, your whole formulation philisophy  and your own skin care rituals change enormously. Believe it or not, I even try to apologize to my microbiome when I jump into a swimming pool (chlorine) or go into sauna (heat).

During the last few years and with the increasing knowledge and public awareness about the microbiome, the number of skin care products claiming to be microbiome friendly or designed to take care of the microbiome is increasing like mushrooms growing after rain.

The "microbiome friendly" certification is a program developed by a German microbiologist Dr. Kristin Neumann. This is  the world’s first product test for the microbiome: Microbiome Standard 18.10 and they test cosmetic products for their friendliness to skin and mucous membrane microbiota.

If you ask my humble opinion, this is the most reasonable certification in the whole world of cosmetic industry at the moment.

I'm chasing Dr. Neumann to arrange an appointment with her and find out more about this program and certification. Stay tuned for the updates.

BeHappy and have fun