The skin is the largest organ and the outermost interface between the body and its environment. It is a protective envelope, our first defense against extrinsic factors that can alter body functions. It harbors an important microbial ecosystem, made of billions of resident commensal microorganisms. It is an ecological unit where human host and microbial cells interact with each other in a contiguous environment to perform key functions. The latest sequencing technologies provided new insights about the skin microbiome and skin microbiota composition, key players and their activities in skin functions in full harmony with epidermal barriers and skin immunity. We had to reevaluate previous notions and it is now well-recognized that commensal microorganisms play a critical role in skin health, shifting the traditional pathogen-dominated view of human-bacterial interactions (1). This is especially the case for the ubiquitous skin bacterium Cutibacterium acnes and our view on it has dramatically changed in the last few years.

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