The SymProBiome identifies the microorganisms that reside in and on key areas including skin, oral cavity, gut, scalp and underarm and how an imbalance of these community populations can lead to health complaints.
“SymProBiome takes research and understanding of the human microbiome to the next level,” says Dr Christin Koch, Director Microbiology Research at Symrise and scientific head of SymProBiome.
“This includes the development of dedicated in vitro and ex vivo microbiome models that closely models the natural ecosystems of the body.”
Consisting of microbiome screening, research models and tools, the platform is the result of collaborations between Symrise experts in microbiology, microbiome research, and other authorities in human cell and molecular biology, analytics, and organic synthesis.
Rather than view the human microbiome as an independent entity, SymProBiome gains a deeper understanding of the microbiome’s symbiotic relationship with the human body and its crucial role in health and personal care.
‘Delivering innovation’
SymProBiome’s approach thus seeks to gain new insights to existing ingredients. Symrise’s current product portfolio includes those for oral care, cosmetics, food and fragrances.
“We feel positioned to deliver innovations in microbiome personal care, continuously building on our existing knowledge by forging partnerships with experts as part of our scientific advisory board,” adds Dr Florian Genrich, Senior Global Product Manager at Symrise.
“SymProBiome has already brought scientific breakthroughs with significant relevance to product development.”
Currently SymProBiome is focusing on the skin as a key microbiome community, where dry skin is the result of an impacted skin microbiome that leads to redness, dryness, lesions or acne.
The platform is also looking to solutions to achieve odour inhibition in a microbiome friendly manner as a viable altetnative to anti-perspirants that may impact the microbiome negatively.
SymProBiome is also used to create dandruff solutions by better understanding the interaction of the skin (barrier integrity, sebum production) with the development and activity of the bacteria and fungi that live in this ecosystem.
Along with skin, SymProBiome also focuses on the oral cavity, incorporating an oral model that simulates this complex environment enabling Symrise to assess the efficacy of ingredients, whether minimising detrimental biofilm or eliminating bad breath.
Laval University collaboration
Symrise and its platform are also applying research findings into the discovery of future prebiotics and probiotics having funded a five-year research program with Canada’s Laval University.
The pact looked to explore the prebiotic effect of polyphenols and the possibilities of developing a new synbiotic by combining polyphenols and probiotics using in vitro models such as the gut microbiome in vitro systems, intestinal organoids and metabolomics.
“Like the earth itself, the human body resembles a large dynamic ecosystem that strives for stability and balance across its smaller ecosystems while facing constant challenges,” says Imke Meyer, Vice President Global Innovation Cosmetic Ingredients Division of Symrise.
“We consider it therefore essential to understand the body’s microbiomes both locally and as a holistic system in order to develop products that can truly maximize health and wellbeing while enhancing consumer satisfaction.”