Appropriate Infant Skincare Routines for a Healthy Metabolome

The first requirement is hypoallergenicity.

This concerns the selection of ingredients that do not have any history of skin allergenicity.

This point is particularly important for infant skincare products, since infancy is the time that the immune system is immature. It is the time that it is being trained to recognize which epitopes would be trigger an immune response.

2: Supports Skin Barrier Function

Secondly, an appropriate regimen should have no adverse effects on the skin barrier function of the skin.

Harsh surfactants can remove skin barrier lipids and certain fatty acids can interfere with the proper organization of the lipids. Both actions can compromise the skin barrier and let allergens and other harmful substances to penetrate, leading to skin irritations.

3: Maintains Proper Biochemical Skin Composition

Besides lipids, maintaining a proper biochemical composition of the skin surface, including the natural moisturizing factors, helps with skin hydration and pH buffering capacity.

4: Supports Microbial Diversity

Given the important role of commensals on infant skin, an appropriate skin regimen should also help to support microbial diversity.

A healthy skin microbiome not only helps to maintain and support the skin barrier, but also prevents the overgrowth of pathogenic microorganisms.

Lastly, an appropriate skin regimen should be able to maintain a mildly acidic skin pH.

Skin surface pH has two important roles: 

- It affects the skin barrier structure by controlling the enzymatic activity within the stratum corneum.
- It controls the growth rate of microbes on the skin surface.

An optimal mildly acidic pH maintains the skin barrier structure and inhibits the overgrowth of pathogenic bacteria.

Metabolites are small molecules (such as amino acids and small lipids) that participate in the metabolism of the cells, whether a microorganism or a human cell. These small molecules can easily diffuse and be exchanged between cells.

In this way, they can act as signals between microorganisms living on the skin surface and human skin cells. These are the chemical language of the cells.

Metabolomics is the analysis of the concentrations of metabolites, and by such analysis, we are able to listen into the “conversations” of the cells.

Moreover, by understanding the molecular pathways triggered or inhibited by the metabolites, we can better understand the role of the microbiome on skin function.

Impact of Infant Skincare Regimens on the Metabolome

Infant skincare regimens may affect the metabolome of infant skin.

There is emerging evidence that emollients, for example, have the potential to positively affect infant skin metabolome in ways that are beneficial to infant skin health.

- Regimen A consists of baby wash and lotion
- Regimen B consists of baby wash only

on healthy infants aged between 3 to 6 months.

The study specifically examined the cutaneous microbiome, metabolome, and skin physiology of the infants.

At Johnson & Johnson, we are dedicated to investigating the effects of skincare regimens on infant skin and developing specific formulations to meet the requirements of appropriate infant skincare.

Johnson’s has been leading this area of evidence-based research and has furthered our understanding of skin health.

Hypoallergenicity

Johnson’s Baby products have undergone extensive research with a heavy emphasis on formulating hypoallergenic products, which aim to minimize the risk of allergen exposure and the development of allergic reactions and more serious conditions, such as atopic dermatitis.

Gentleness

Several Johnson’s Baby studies have also been conducted to support the gentleness of its products on the skin microbiome.

Through multiple studies, we have been able to demonstrate that the use of gentle Johnson’s baby wash and emollients, used separately or together as part of an appropriate skincare regimen, promote the growth and maintenance of a healthy skin microbiome.