San Diego, Calif., September 22, 2020 – UC San Diego Center for Microbiome Innovation (CMI) announced today that the L’Oreal Group, the world’s leading beauty company, has joined CMI as an Industry Partner. Founded by a chemist in 1909, L’Oreal has a more than 110-year heritage rooted in scientific innovation, delivering the highest quality cosmetic, skincare, and beauty products to meet evolving consumer needs around the world.
Human skin is home to a large number and wide variety of microorganisms such as bacteria, fungi, and viruses, collectively known as the skin microbiome, and varies by each individual. Given the heightened focus on skin health and the need to understand the characteristics of different skin types, learning about the complex composition of microbial communities on the skin will provide critical learnings to the cosmetic and skincare industry.
A world leader in microbiome research and expertise, CMI exists to inspire, nurture, and sustain dynamic collaborations between UC San Diego Microbiome experts and the industry. As CMI’s first cosmetic industry partner, L’Oreal will have the opportunity to expand upon their 15 years of microbiome research and leverage the latest studies and most advanced technologies while sharing their insights into how this research can be applied to the field. This innovative collaboration will bring forth multidisciplinary research to influence and accelerate microbiome discovery and integrate learnings into future skin care products.
“Embracing the science of microbiome can introduce new insights to support the development of technologies, actives and products that have the potential to deliver skin transformation,” said CMI Faculty Director Dr. Rob Knight. “We are thrilled to welcome L’Oreal as the first cosmetic industry partner to join the Center for Microbiome Innovation.”
Together with the CMI team, L’Oreal intends to extend the frontiers of knowledge in skin microbiome research—going beyond the description of microbial composition to microbial function and skin appearance, as well as the more limitedly explored compounds.
“CMI is at the forefront of research into the human microbiome, and together, we have a unique opportunity to influence the future of microbiome research,” said Magali Moreau, who leads L’Oreal Microbiome research in North America. “We are excited to dive more deeply into microbial function and uncover new ways to promote long-term skin wellness and beauty and deliver new levels of product performance.”
By partnering with CMI, L’Oreal will be able to provide essential consumer and market insights to CMI researchers, while ensuring the focus remains on the importance of understanding the science behind any potential products developed. “L’Oreal brings significant expertise in beauty technology, personalization, Artificial Intelligence, and other areas as it relates to cosmetics and skincare,” said CMI Executive Director Dr. Andrew Bartko. “Partnering with our first industry member in this field will provide critical advancements to the field of skin microbiome research.”
About L’Oréal
L’Oréal has devoted itself to beauty for over 100 years. With its unique international portfolio of 36 diverse and complementary brands, the Group generated sales amounting to 29.87 billion euros in 2019 and employs 88,000 people worldwide. As the world’s leading beauty company, L’Oréal is present across all distribution networks: mass market, department stores, pharmacies and drugstores, hair salons, travel retail, branded retail, and e-commerce. Research and Innovation, and a dedicated research team of 4,100 people, are at the core of L’Oréal’s strategy, working to meet beauty aspirations all over the world.
About Center for Microbiome Innovation at University of California San Diego:
The UC San Diego Center for Microbiome Innovation leverages the university’s strengths in clinical medicine, bioengineering, computer science, the biological and physical sciences, data sciences, and more to coordinate and accelerate microbiome research. We also develop methods for manipulating microbiomes for the benefit of human and environmental health. Learn more at cmi.ucsd.edu and follow @CMIDigest.
