There is increasing interest in the development of non-invasive tools for studying the properties of skin, due to the potential for non-destructive sampling, reduced ethical concerns and the potential comparability of results in vivo and in vitro.

But most of these models are sterile. In recent years, skin microbiota has emerged as a key player in skin health, preventing pathogens proliferation, educating the immune system and maintaining barrier integrity. The first skin models colonized with bacteria have focused on unique bacterial species. But the study of skin diseases (such as atopic dermatitis) revealed that microbiota’s diversity is key to skin health. We thus developed a model that reproduces the complexity of the skin’s ecosystem with an uncultured skin microbiota and compared it to the use of a unique commensal bacteria.

Damage to the structural integrity of the skin through trauma or injury initiates the skin barrier repair/wound healing process, which is highly complex and carefully regulated with ordered responses. There are four main stages involved in the normal skin barrier repair/wound healing process: haemostasis, inflammation, proliferation and remodelling, all of which occur in an over-lapping chronological sequence.

A 3D cell culture is an artificially created environment in which cells are permitted to grow/interact with their surroundings in all three dimensions. Derived from 3D cell culture, organoids are generally small-scale constructs of cells that are fabricated in the laboratory to serve as 3D representations of in vivo tissues and organs.

Whilst many immunohistochemistry, autoradiography and spectroscopic methods are routinely used in dermatological research, the application of MALDI MSI is still relatively new. One of the key features of MALDI MSI that makes its use appealing is the ability to detect and study the distribution of multiple compounds simultaneously in a label-free manner.

Biofilms comprise structured communities of microorganisms in a self-produced extracellular matrix, usually attached to an organic or abiotic surface.

Mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) is a powerful tool for the study of intact tissue sections. Here, its application to the study of the distribution of lipids in sections of reconstructed living skin equivalents during their development and maturation is described.

Three-dimensional(3D)human skin models are an accepted part of the testing and regulatory landscape in skin related industries and their development, commercialization, and uses have been well documented. At present, there are several established commercial model systems and a multitude of academic lab-specific 3D in vitro reconstructed human skin models, all with different characteristics, strengths, and weaknesses.

To investigate the antistaphylococcal/antibiofilm activity and mode of action (MOA) of a panel of redoxactive (RA) compounds with a history of human use and to provide a preliminary preclinical assessment of their potential for topical treatment of staphylococcal infections, including those involving a biofilm component.

Turmeric (Curcuma longa) is a rhizomatous herbaceous plant belonging to the ginger family Zingiberaceae. The main components of tumeric are 1,7-bis-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxy-phenyl)-hepta-1,6-diene-3,5-dione (also known as curcumin),which can exist in keto and enol forms (tautomers), and its desmethoxy and bis-desmethoxy derivatives which are present in varying ratios.

Testing personal care products using clinical trials is the gold standard for proving efficacy, but is often seen as too expensive to be considered cost-effective. However, formal proof that a product works is highly motivating to consumers, as demonstrated by the runaway success of Boots Protect & Perfect anti-ageing serum in 2009.

The resident commensal microorganisms found on human skin are predominantly Gram-positive species. The commensal Staphylococcus epidermidis is the most prevalent staphylococcal species, whereas Staphylococcus aureus is a transient, opportunistic pathogen causing superficial as well as serious invasive infections.

Damage to the structural integrity of the skin through trauma or injury initiates the skin barrier repair/wound healing process, which is highly complex and carefully regulated with ordered responses. There are four main stages involved in the normal skin barrier repair/wound healing process: haemostasis, inflammation, proliferation and remodelling, all of which occur in an over-lapping chronological sequence.