Skin microbiome takes centre stage in Soil Association campaign
At the beginning of any year it’s common for digestion to be prominent in health news, with many people still feeling the effects of Christmas indulgence or plagued by the sluggishness of winter. Often, this manifests as increased brand and retailer activity – take Better Food’s February promotions on gut health products (from kimchi to supplements) as a 2024 example, or Biotiful’s announcement of its new partnership with Gloucester Rugby as the club’s official gut health partner.
So it’s natural that The Soil Association (SA) would pick early 2024 for its latest campaign focusing on the microbiome. But as Paige Tracey, business development manager at the SA, explains ‘Organic: better for me’ takes a deep dive into not just gut microbiome, but skin too.
With microbiome-friendly skincare front of mind for beauty consumers in 2024, Tracey says the new campaign’s purpose is to educate consumers on some of the health benefits certified natural and organic cosmetics offer – along with the microbiome-harming, endocrine-disrupting ingredients that certified products will never contain.
The campaign’s social media arm – ‘Cosmetic ingredients to leave behind in 2024’ – takes aim at five ingredients excluded from COSMOS Organic and COSMOS Natural (parabens, methylbenzylidene camphor, phthalates, oxybenzone and triclosan) and illustrates why it pays dividends to avoid them.
“More and more evidence is coming out about the potential endocrine-disrupting properties of certain ingredients that can be found in cosmetics,” says Tracey, singling out parabens and methylbenzylidene camphor as two currently being reviewed by UK regulators over safety concerns.
“It’s just been announced that the EU has banned methylbenzylidene camphor from being used in cosmetics, and all cosmetics containing it have to be removed from the EU market by 2025. So the EU has already recognized that it is basically too harmful to our endocrine systems for it to continue to be used.”
Impacting marine life
Methylbenzylidene camphor is commonly used as a filter in UV sunscreens, as is oxybenzone which has now been banned in Thailand, Palau and Hawaii due to its effect on coral reefs.
For the campaign the SA has partnered with BANT-accredited nutritionist Michaella Mazzoni, who delivered an informative talk at the SA’s press event in London on 31 January. Mazzoni comments that while there is generally good public understanding of healthy gut bacteria, the same can’t be said for awareness of ‘a similar microbiome that exists on our skin’.
“The good bacteria are responsible for many functions such as eating excess oils. This is why many skin conditions including acne and eczema can be exacerbated by a disruption in the balance of good and bad bacteria on the skin. Beyond appearance, however, the skin microbiome is also the first line of your body’s immune defence. It prevents harmful microbes from entering your body.”
That skin barrier can be crossed by certain chemicals in a matter of seconds; studies show 98-100% absorption of sulphates and phthalates into the bloodstream, with potential detrimental effect on the body.
“When we talk about disruption to the endocrine system, what does that actually entail?” asks Tracey. “Well, it can cause anything from certain types of cancers, to effects on our immune system, to issues with metabolism and weight gain.” She notes that along with the ‘massive spectrum of negative human health effects’ that can come from our hormonal system being routinely exposed to endocrine disruptors – from fertility issues to cognitive disorders – there also exists a risk to babies in the womb when pregnant women use the five ‘harsh ingredients’ highlighted on social media.
“They can be readily removed if you stop using them, so that’s positive”
Paige Tracey, business development manager, Soil Association
Ingredients such as oxybenzone and triclosan may be fast absorbed into the bloodstream but the body is also quick to respond when such ingredients are eliminated from a person’s beauty regime. “They can be readily removed if you stop using them, so that’s positive. People only need to make a small swap [to] avoid them.”
Here, Tracey makes reference to a previous slogan used by Soil Association Beauty – ‘One Small Swap’ – which the current campaign feeds neatly into. “One Small Swap was more focused on the wider environment and how cosmetics can have a negative effect on the environment; this one is more focused on human health, but I think it just goes to show how the two are so interconnected and the likelihood is if it’s not good for the natural environment it’s probably not going to be good for us either, because we’re part of the natural environment.”
By Rosie Greenaway, editor