what is the skin microbiome, and why does it matter for your baby?
Just like the gut, your baby’s skin is home to trillions of tiny microorganisms called the skin microbiome. This begins developing from day one and is always evolving, playing an important role in early life to help your baby’s skin learn, adapt, and build its natural defences for long-term skin health.
early life is a critical window
The first 1,000 days of your baby’s life is a special window of time. During this early stage, your little one’s skin microbiome is still developing and it’s also the most adaptable it will ever be. After this period, the skin microbiome gradually becomes more stable, which is why early experiences and daily care play such an important role in setting the foundation for long-term skin health.
At birth, your baby’s skin is still very new to the world. The skin barrier isn’t fully mature yet and continues to develop and strengthen over the first few weeks of life3.
At the same time, your baby’s immune system is also learning how to recognise and respond to the world around it. The skin microbiome plays a gentle but important role in guiding that early learning process.
Your newborn’s skin is also much more delicate than adult skin, it can be up to 30% thinner, which means it naturally loses moisture more easily while the barrier is still forming4.
As your baby grows, their skin barrier keeps strengthening throughout the first year of life4.
At around 6 months, your little one’s skin can be sensitive and is more permeable than adult skin. This means it can lose moisture easily as it continues to mature and build balance5.
It’s all part of your baby’s skin learning how to protect and regulate itself over time.
By toddlerhood, your child’s skin has come a long way and it keeps developing quietly in the background.
Around 2 years of age, the skin barrier continues to strengthen, gradually becoming more resilient with each passing stage of early childhood5.
It’s getting stronger every day, even if it’s still doing some of its most important building work beneath the surface.
when balance is disrupted
Your baby’s skin is still developing, which makes it especially delicate and also more sensitive to everyday influences that can gently shift its natural balance. Simple things can temporarily affect this finely tuned ecosystem, including:
Harsh
ingredients
Frequent
washing
Weather changes, indoor heating & cooling
When this balance is disrupted, your baby’s skin may start to feel dry, look a little irritated in patchy areas, or become more sensitive than usual.
This can be a temporary shift in your baby’s skin ecosystem, one that research suggests can often rebalance and recover as the skin microbiome continues to mature and strengthen over time6.
why the skin microbiome matters so much in early life
This early stage sets the foundations as your baby’s skin microbiome acts like a powerful training ground, shaping how the skin and immune system learn, adapt, and protect for years to come. It helps your little one’s skin to do four incredible things:
Teaches the immune system
In early life, your baby’s immune system is still learning. The skin microbiome plays a central role in this education by helping it understand what to respond to and what to safely ignore.
This “training” process is essential. Without it, the immune system can become overly sensitive or reactive. With it, your baby’s skin learns balance, calm, and resilience from the very beginning.
Protects against unwanted germs
A healthy skin microbiome works like a built-in protective shield. The beneficial microbes on your baby’s skin naturally occupy space and use available resources, making it much harder for unwanted or harmful organisms to take hold. It’s a quiet but powerful form of protection that starts working from day one.
Supports the skin barrier
Your baby’s skin microbiome also helps support the skin’s natural barrier function by maintaining a slightly acidic environment. This delicate balance is essential for keeping moisture in and helping the skin stay protected from external stressors. It’s one of the key ways your little one’s skin stays hydrated, comfortable and supported as it develops.
Keeps skin calmer over time
A well-supported early skin microbiome is associated with healthier skin outcomes, including a lower likelihood of developing conditions such as eczema (dry, itchy skin) and allergic skin inflammation. A balanced start can help set the stage for calmer, more resilient skin as your baby grows7,8,9.
that's why we do things differently at Bunjie
We believe baby care should work with little skin, not against it. Every Bunjie product is designed to support the skin microbiome and give sensitive little skin the best start to life.
That's where our Minibiotics® come in.
prebiotics
food for the good bacteria
probiotics
the good bacteria
postbiotics
skin nourishing nutrients
Our unique blend of prebiotics, probiotics and postbiotics, working alongside gentle, naturally derived ingredients to help keep little skin balanced, calm and happy from day one.
gentle care that works with your baby’s skin through all the stages
Our wide range of Minibiotic Skincare, Wipes and Nappies are purposefully made with sensitive little skin in mind. Because when baby skin is supported from day one, it has the best chance to thrive, from today and into the future.
sensitive skin
Our range helps to calm sensitive little skin while it’s adjusting to the outside world.
toddler skin
As your toddler grows, keep their skin hydrated and happy while they’re on the go!
the BIG idea
Your baby’s skin microbiome helps shape how their body learns, responds, and protects itself as it develops.
This delicate, invisible world on your little one’s skin should be nurtured and supported, particularly during the first 1,000 days when it’s still finding its balance, so that happy little skin gets the best start to life.
References
1. Casterline, B. W., & Paller, A. S. (2020). Early development of the skin microbiome. Pediatric Research. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41390-020-01146-2
2. Belkaid, Y., & Hand, T. W. (2014). Role of the microbiota in immunity and inflammation. Science Translational Medicine.
3. Hoath, S. B., & Maibach, H. I. (2003). Neonatal skin: Structure and function. Journal of Investigative Dermatology.
4. Cork, M. J., Robinson, D. A., Vasilopoulos, Y., Ferguson, A., Moustafa, M., MacGowan, A., Duff, G. W., Ward, S. J., & Newbold, P. C. (2009). The role of the skin barrier in atopic dermatitis. British Journal of Dermatology.
5. Nikolovski, J., Stamatas, G. N., Kollias, N., & Wiegand, B. C. (2008). Barrier function and water-holding capacity of infant skin. Journal of Investigative Dermatology.
6. Oh, J., Byrd, A. L., Deming, C., Conlan, S., & Kong, H. H. (2016). Biogeography and individuality shape infant skin microbiome development. Nature.
7. Capone, K. A., Dowd, S. E., Stamatas, G. N., & Nikolovski, J. (2011). Early-life skin microbiome and atopic dermatitis development. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.
8. Kong, H. H., Oh, J., Deming, C., Conlan, S., Grice, E. A., Beatson, M. A., Nomicos, E., Polley, E. C., Komarow, H. D., & Program NISC Comparative Sequencing (2012). Temporal shifts in the skin microbiome associated with infant eczema. Science Translational Medicine.
9. Belkaid, Y., & Hand, T. W. (2014). Role of the microbiota in immunity and inflammation. Science Translational Medicine.