L’Oréal and Micreos partnership promises to advance skin microbiome therapeutics

03 Nov 2020 --- Cosmetics industry behemoth L’Oréal and Dutch company Micreos are combining their expertise in biotechnology to explore skin microbiome therapeutics. With Micreos’ technology, it is possible for the first time to target only unwanted bacteria in the skin flora – responsible for many skin problems – while sparing the good ones, the companies note.

L’Oréal and Micreos, which develops new biological therapies based on phage- and endolysin technology, have signed a license agreement, under the terms of which Micreos will give L’Oréal access to its endolysin – a type of active protein in the cosmetic field. 

“The agreement with Micreos opens up a very promising field in high-tech cosmetics,” says Laurent Attal, Executive vice president, Research & Innovation for L’Oréal.Micreos’ technology targets only unwanted bacteria in the skin flora, while sparing the good ones.

Understanding the skin’s microbiota
For over a decade, L’Oréal’s Research and Innovation arm has been cooperating with scientific institutions and conducting clinical studies to better understand the skin microbiome’s role. 

“L’Oréal has been a leadin industry figure in skincare for decades. Micreos is at the forefront of targeted bacterial biotechnology. We pair our strengths and millions stand to benefit,” says Mark Offerhaus, Micreos CEO.

The Dutch company’s pharma development program includes endolysins that all target staphylococcus bacteria, which cause or aggravate a broad range of health issues, including skin conditions.

Micreos developed the world’s first endolysin-based products for human health, marketed under the Gladskin brand. The company’s pharma program includes compounds against S. aureus for atopic dermatitis, diabetic wound infections and sepsis. 

Skin microbiome strides
Exploring the potential of the skin microbiome – the community of bacteria and microorganisms that live on the skin – is a rising trend and major industry players are looking into the space. 

Notably, Givaudan’s personal care arm Givaudan Active Beauty unveiled last year the “world’s first” instant microbiome analysis and profiling system, coined i-MAPS. 

The technology allows Givaudan’s customers to expand their product offerings to include skincare products tailored to their consumers’ unique microbiome. The technology combines microbiome research and technology, which may be a gateway to exploring the tailoring of beauty products involving the skin microbiome.

Last year, DSM Nutrition’s ventures arm made an equity investment in skin microbiome company S-Biomedic NV, which pioneered “a new approach to the cosmetic and therapeutic potential of the skin microbiome.”

Meanwhile, Symrise and Probi cooperated to deliver probiotic-based cosmetic ingredients. The companies are developing cosmetic products with the Lactobacillus strain which could hold particular potential for sensitive and dry skin.

Earlier this year, multinational pharmaceutical Bayer and Azitra, a clinical-stage medical dermatology biotech company, partnered in research to identify and characterize skin microbiome bacteria. 

The move explores the skin microbiome’s potential in helping to develop skincare products for adverse skin conditions and diseases, such as eczema. The partnership will leverage Azitra’s proprietary panel of Staphylococcus epidermidis strains to identify potential treatment candidates. 

By Kristiana Lalou