Shiseido : Discovers through Microbiome Research that Sensitive Skin Contains High Levels of Specific Strain of Cutibacterium acnes which inhibits Staphylococcus epidermidis

Shiseido, in collaboration with Professor Seiya Imoto and Project Professor Satoshi Uematsu at the Human Genome Center, The Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo, has discovered that sensitive skin contains high levels of a specific strain of Cutibacterium acnes hereafter referred to as "inhibitory bacteria" that inhibits the growth of Staphylococcus epidermidis essential for healthy skin. This discovery was made by applying the whole-genome shotgun analysis, a method which greatly improves the range and resolution of microbiome analysis compared to commonly used methods. Shiseido then identified a fermented extract derived from microorganisms capable of surviving in extreme environments hereafter referred to as "microbial extract" through Shiseido's unique screening process* as a component that selectively suppresses the inhibitory bacteria and creates a favorable growth environment for Staphylococcus epidermidis (Figure 1). Shiseido will continue to explore and uncover the causes of skin sensitivity to create new skincare solutions.
A part of the results from this study was presented at the 97th Annual Meeting of Japanese Society for Bacteriology held from August 7 through 9, 2024.
* Patent pending

Figure 1: Sensitive skin contains high levels of inhibitory bacteria and the microbial extract selectively suppresses these inhibitory bacteria