A formulation workspace with a beaker of cream, glass vials of powder, a spatula, a notebook and a dried botanical sprig.

What Is the Skin Microbiome? A Biochemist's Plain-English Guide

If you've seen the word "microbiome" on a skincare label and quietly wondered what it actually means, this is for you.

Michael Chalavoutis, co-founder of Original Glow, holding a jar of the Active Restore Complex cream.

I'm the co-founder of Original Glow. My undergraduate degree is in molecular biology and biochemistry, my graduate degree is in cell and molecular biology and genetics, and I drove the formulation of everything we make. My goal here is simple: explain the skin microbiome the way I'd explain it to a friend — no jargon, no fear-marketing.

Your skin is an ecosystem, not a surface

Your skin hosts trillions of microorganisms — bacteria, fungi, and other microbes — living on and in its outermost layers. That's not a problem to be solved. It's normal, and it's essential. Scientists call this community the skin microbiome.

A balanced microbiome works alongside your skin barrier — the outermost layer of skin cells and lipids — to help skin hold onto moisture, stay calm, and look healthy. Think of the barrier as the wall and the microbiome as the garden growing on it. They function as one system.

What throws the ecosystem off balance

Modern skincare habits can be surprisingly hard on this ecosystem:

  • Over-cleansing — harsh surfactants strip away lipids and beneficial microbes along with the dirt.
  • Over-exfoliating — daily acids or scrubs can thin the barrier faster than skin rebuilds it.
  • Stacking too many actives — layering strong ingredients without recovery time keeps skin in a constant state of stress.
  • Very hot water and long showers — comfort now, dryness later.

When the ecosystem is disrupted, people often notice the same cluster of signs.

Five signs your skin barrier may be under strain: tightness after washing, stinging on application, redness that comes and goes, dullness and rough texture, and products that stopped working.

What supports a balanced microbiome

The good news: skin wants to return to balance. Supporting it is mostly about doing less, more intelligently:

  • Gentle, low-strip cleansing — clean skin shouldn't feel squeaky or tight.
  • Fewer, better-chosen products — a simple routine gives the ecosystem room to stabilize.
  • Biotic ingredients — prebiotics (nutrients that feed beneficial microbes), probiotics (live cultures), and postbiotics (beneficial compounds derived from heat-treated cultures) are formulated to support the ecosystem rather than fight it.
  • Consistency and patience — barriers rebuild on a timescale of weeks, not days.

Why we build our formulas around this

At Original Glow, this ecosystem-first idea isn't a marketing angle bolted on afterward — it's the starting point of every formulation decision we make. We choose ingredients that support the skin's microbiome and barrier, and we're transparent about what's in the jar and where it comes from.

In upcoming posts, I'll break down the difference between prebiotics, probiotics, and postbiotics — and why the right one depends on the format of the product it's in.

This article is for educational purposes and isn't medical advice. For concerns specific to your skin, talk to a dermatologist.

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