Johanna Gillbro is a skin scientist with a passion for skin health and a pharmacist by training with a PhD in Experimental Dermatology from University of Bradford in the UK. Her recent research has been related to aging skin, dry skin, and hyperpigmentation and in the last five years, she’s focused on the skin microbiome — our skin flora.
— It’s our outermost layer of the skin, consisting of trillion of microorganisms, of which most are very important for our skin health. It’s absolutely fascinating to see how the skin is affected by the gut microbiome and how skin bacteria interact and contribute to good skin health. Research in this field is still in its infancy, but I’d be surprised if, a decade from now, we’re still using skincare products that affect the bacteria on our skin — our skin microbiome — as we do today, she states.
Over the years in the skincare industry, Gillbro realized that there are two challenges with traditional skincare. First of all, the uncontrolled temperature requirements and long shelf life requires additives such as preservatives and other additives to mask unwanted odor and color.
— So many of these additives including preservatives are good for the product, to keep it fresh for a long time, as long as three years. However, these substances could affect our skin flora which is as important to our skin as the well known gut flora is for our overall health, she says.
Secondly, the long shelf life and the uncontrolled storage requirements in traditional skincare, also affects the activity of many active ingredients.
— Many active ingredients are very sensitive to temperature, and even room temperature and loose activity when stored at room temperature.
A few days ago, she launched her solution to the problem, Skinome Project, with freshly made skincare.
— Our products have a shorter shelf life and we manufacture them in small volumes in Sweden. Immediately after the products have been produced, they are stored in cold rooms before being transported to your home. This is something that unique for us, something we are incredibly proud of. This new approach to skincare in terms of manufacturing, storage, warehousing, logistics, and sales makes it possible to develop microbiome friendly and efficient skincare. Our products do not contain unnecessary additives such as perfumes or dyes and instead of using large amounts of preservatives, they are preserved through our developed method with a minimum of anti-microbial ingredients.
The first two products are unisex, as all of them are and will be focusing on skin types.
— Our Rich Emulsion is for combination, normal or slightly dry skin. This formula is a freshly made facial cream with a biomimetic formula, a unique blend of substances that are naturally found in the skin. We have chosen a patented postbiotic from lactic acid bacteria that strengthens the skin’s immune system, balances the skin flora and increases the proportion of good and healthy microorganisms. We have chosen two important minerals; calcium, which is crucial for forming a healthy and balanced barrier function, and manganese, which provides antioxidant protection and protects against oxidative stress. Other active ingredients are the skin lipids ceramide, cholesterol and squalane, glycerin and vitamins B1 and E. Rich Emulsion is formulated without conventional preservatives.
— The Mineral Cleanser is a gentle, freshly made cleansing cream with moisturizing properties.Among the active ingredients are postbiotics which bind water in the skin, minerals that absorb grease and dirt as well as a new innovation when it comes to BHA. Our BHA at very low dose — 0,25% — is encapsulated in prebiotic fibers and this specific encapsulation with prebiotic fibers is texture enhancing and very mild for your skin. Other key ingredients are the endogenous substances squalane and glycerin, oat oil as well as barrier-strengthening niacinamide, says Gillbro.
What are the main benefits with your products?
— We don’t believe in quick fixes. Our focus is always on overall skin health, with visual benefits such as soft, moisturized skin with a healthy skin barrier and more radiance long term. The specific benefits are related to each product, depending on your skin type.
