Considering its importance to skin health, the microbiome played a very small part in skincare until recently.
Skincare products have long accepted the microbiome and knew not to aggravate bacteria that could cause skin problems. Yet, actual industry development was minimal.
Only a handful of disruptor brands, such as Galinee and Mother Dirt, placed the microbiome at the centre of its promise to consumers. This niche market is no more.
Nowadays, consumers’ growing curiosity about the relationship between their internal, external, and mental health and wellbeing has left them looking to the microbiome for answers, especially when it comes to healthy skin. As a result, beauty products must now balance the needs of the body’s entire ecosystem.
Mintel has been monitoring consumer feelings about ingredients like prebiotics and probiotics for the last few years, observing the awareness of their impact grow. In July 2019, our research found that 59% of US women who use beauty products have heard of probiotics and look for them in products.
This realization has pushed the skincare category into overdrive, with more and more brands incorporating prebiotic and probiotic ingredients to feed and replenish the skin. 6% of global facial skincare products in 2019 contained probiotics, compared to 4% in the previous year.
Published by Information and inspiration on skin microbiome , April 2020
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