Investigating Adult Acne

As one of the leading companies in the field of skin testing, Labskin Ltd was recently contacted by the BBC to assist them with a feature they wanted to do  on adult acne.

Our Chief Scientific Officer together with a Senior Scientist went to Kings Cross station to meet and swab the faces of 2 ‘skinfluencers’, Sarah and Afia. 

Sarah (30s, white, female) has suffered with acne since her last pregnancy (interestingly her third pregnancy – a daughter – and had no issues with her previous pregnancies – sons). Afia (20s, black, female) has suffered with acne since being a teenager.

We transplanted their microbiome onto Labskin. We tested Afia’s microbiome on Labskin with an over the counter acne treatment (Acnecide containing benzoyl peroxide) and Afia’s choice of blemish treatment (The Inkey List blemish treatment containing salicylic acid and succinic acid). We enumerated the amount of acne bacteria before and after treatment, and measured the amount of Il-1a present, a cytokine for inflammation and irritation.

THE RESULT

The Inkey List product reduced the amount of acne bacteria present more than the Acnecide, but it produced a higher level of Il-1a than Acnecide. Therefore, was more irritating to the skin, even though it is effective in reducing the bacteria present.

We were unable to recover workable amounts of bacteria from Sarah (due to a large amount of make-up being worn).

Afia had very visible acne skin with pimples, redness and blemishes. Sarah did not.

Full real life acne case study:

The effects of anti-acne products on a skin microbiome transplanted onto Labskin-S

Labskin Limited were contacted by a producer for the BBC Morning Live show at the end of May 2024, just as we were in the process of setting up our new labs in York. The BBC wanted to make a feature on adult acne and wondered if Labskin Limited could help. The producer had seen the documentary that Skin Trust Club (part of the now defunct Deepverge business, and a sister company to Labskin) had done with Georgia Toffolo, looking at the skin microbiome. I said we couldn’t do exactly the same thing and outlined what we could do. It took a few more weeks to get the green light, but Bart and I headed to London on the train armed with a polystyrene box full of our sampling kit.

We met with two Skinfluencer volunteers outside Boots in Kings Cross station and took their microbiome samples by the flower stall. No-one batted an eyelid at two scientists in gloves, armed with pipettes, tubes and buffers, placing sterile stainless-steel rings on the cheeks of two volunteers to collect their microbes. A quick train ride back to York and Bart put the microbiome samples into culture.

We were able to recover workable quantities of microbiome samples from both Skinfluencers. We applied the whole microbiome sample to Labskin-M  (Labskin-S with the addition of melanocytes; the cells that produce pigmentation in the skin).

These two graphs show the number of viable acne bacteria recovered from Labskin-M (left), and the log reduction in viable bacteria for the two anti-acne products in relation to negative control (right).

What this data shows is that the Skinfluencers product of choice was more effective in reducing the number of acne bacteria on Labskin-M than the over-the-counter product.

Additionally, we measured the amount of IL-1α present in the media surrounding Labskin-M during treatment. Again, the results were interesting! In this case, the product of choice caused a larger release of IL-1α than the over-the-counter product, indicating that it may be more irritating to the skin and could cause inflammation. The presence of the acne microbiome alone was enough to trigger an increase in IL-1α compared to the Labskin without any microbes present.

The over-the-counter product reduced acne bacteria levels and triggered a lower release of IL-1α compared to both the negative control and the product of choice. Although it may be less effective at reducing acne, its lower irritation potential could make it more suitable for long-term use.

In contrast, the product of choice achieved a greater reduction in acne bacteria but induced higher IL-1α release, suggesting it may be more effective against acne bacteria but carries a higher risk of skin irritation and inflammation.

We presented these results to the BBC team when they visited our labs in York. It was a very hectic day filming with the Morning Live team. The Skinfluencers got to see their results in the lab and were really intrigued by what it showed. Skinfluencer A had used the over-the-counter product in the past and seeing that it did reduce bacteria but was also less inflammatory, made her consider revisiting its use. Skinfluencer B, although she presents with an acne-like facial skin, was fascinated to see it wasn’t caused by an overgrowth of acne bacteria.

We discussed the many factors that are associated with adult-onset acne, including hormones, diet, environment, sleep, skincare and personal care products. There isn’t just one cause for adult acne, but understanding your own skin, what triggers a breakout and what works for you is really important.