Why measuring microbial impact matters: inside YUN’s Microbiome Safe Scoring System
22/12/2025 | Probiotherapy | 10 min read
"Mild is not the same as microbiome-safe. Our scoring system shows the difference. Microbiome safety is measurable and the bacteria tell us the truth."
The rise of microbiome science is reshaping how we formulate, evaluate and validate skincare. As the industry moves away from antimicrobial approaches toward microbial balance, brands need transparent ways to understand how formulations affect beneficial bacteria. Not just in theory, but in measurable biological outcomes.
For brands developing microbiome conscious dermatology products, this lack of meaningful measurement creates uncertainty, risk and inconsistent claims.
At YUN Probiotherapy, this need led to the development of the Microbiome Safe Scoring System, a scientific and reproducible method to evaluate how rinse off and leave on products influence the growth and metabolic capacity of key skin relevant microorganisms.
It is not a label.
It is a new standard for microbiome aware product development, grounded in biological measurements rather than assumptions.
Why microbiome-safe testing matters
A healthy skin microbiome depends on the presence and activity of beneficial bacteria. Disrupting these species, even temporarily, can influence:
• pH balance
• resistance to pathogens
• barrier integrity
• inflammation
• long term resilience
Many traditional formulations still affect microbial growth, even when they feel gentle on the skin. Microbiome-safe formulations go beyond mildness. They support, or at least do not impair, the metabolic activity of beneficial bacteria.
By measuring microbial impact instead of assuming it, YUN Probiotherapy™ helps brands move toward dermatology that is precise, microbiome-safe and future ready.
"INCI names don’t predict microbiome safety, concentration and formula interactions do! That’s why YUN validates every step, from high‑throughput ingredient screenings to full‑formula assessments, and ties microbiome data to clinical benefit."
How the microbiome-safe scoring works
At YUN, we believe that products should work with your skin’s natural microbiome, not against it. That’s why we’ve developed a rigorous screening process to evaluate microbiome compatibility.
1. Why we started
Our Microbiome Safe Scoring System was born out of necessity. YUN’s hero products are based on Probiotherapy, live topical beneficial bacteria that impact skin health. If a formulation kills these active probiotics, the intended benefit is lost. During development, we discovered that many conventional products were highly antibacterial, incompatible with probiotics, and damaging to the skin microbiome.
2. What we observed clinically
Dermatologists and gynecologists have observed that patients with recurring issues often improve simply by stopping certain antibacterial or non-microbiome-safe cosmetic products. This highlights the natural resilience of the skin microbiome, but that resilience is not infinite. Repeated disruptions can impact this resilience over time. At a certain tipping point, the microbiome’s ability to recover is compromised, especially when dysbiosis coincides with barrier damage, immune imbalance, and oxidative stress. Beyond that threshold, restoring balance becomes far more difficult, and skin health suffers.
3. Why INCI alone says nothing
An ingredient name doesn’t predict microbiome safety. Concentration and context matter: 0.1% alcohol behaves very differently from 70%. And combinations can change everything, a potentially antibacterial ingredient at 1% can be neutralized by another component at 1%. The full formulation determines the real impact.
4. Our screening pipeline
We start with high-throughput screens on individual ingredients at different concentrations, then assess base formulas under varying conditions, and finally evaluate finished products using advanced biological methods to measure microbial resilience. This layered approach ensures that our formulations work with the microbiome, not against it.
5. Clinical reality
The ideal study would track thousands of healthy people for a year with frequent sampling and shotgun metagenomics, scientifically perfect but economically impossible. Instead, YUN conducts patient trials, analyzes microbiome data (both proprietary and public), and combines these insights with clinical grading. Because while the microbiome matters, your skin health matters most.
Bottom Line:
Microbiome-safe at YUN isn’t a marketing claim, it’s a design principle rooted in science, screening, and clinical validation. We share standards transparently while protecting the know-how that drives innovation for your skin.
The microbiome-safe score (A–E)
Because resilience can be eroded by repeated disruptions, we need a clear way to compare formulations. That’s why YUN created the Microbiome Safe Scoring System: after testing a representative set of naturally occurring skin commensals, including Lactobacillaceae, each product receives a score from A to E, from microbiome-friendly to highly disruptive. An A score indicates microbial functionality that is almost identical to rinsing with water — the gold standard for microbiome safety.
A visual summary of microbiome impact
Products scoring A preserve microbial growth capacity.
Products scoring E significantly inhibit or completely suppress the recovery of beneficial species.
This visual scoring system gives brands, healthcare partners and consumers a clear and intuitive understanding of microbial impact.
The benefits of using the microbiome score
The scoring system provides four key advantages:
1. Claim support
Provides scientific substantiation for microbiome-related claims.
2. Consumer trust
Communicates transparency about product impact on skin health.
3. Innovation & science leadership
Signals commitment to microbiome-first product development.
4. Competitive advantage
Differentiates in a crowded market by proving biological compatibility.
“Microbiome safety isn’t a philosophy. It’s something you can measure, quantify and improve if you’re willing to look at what the microbes tell you.”
A new standard for microbiome-aligned dermatology
As the industry shifts toward skin health approaches that support microbial resilience, the need for scientific evaluation grows.
YUN’s Microbiome Safe Scoring delivers:
- a clear evaluation method for microbiome compatibility
- a consistent, science-based testing framework
- a reliable benchmark to compare formulations
for understanding how formulations interact with the beneficial bacteria that support skin health.
In a world where skincare is increasingly shaped by science, the microbiome safe score sets a new standard for designing products that work with nature, not against it.
Measure what truly matters in microbiome-safe dermatology
Measuring microbial impact is only the first step. To translate insight into real dermatology solutions, brands need a structured framework that connects microbiome science with formulation, validation and portfolio development.
Discover how the YUN Probiotherapy™ platform brings these elements together.
Read more
The future of health
is microbiome-safe
The industry is changing. Consumers demand safer, natural solutions and microbiome-safe care is becoming the new standard.
At YUN, we lead this shift and help businesses to stay ahead of it. By integrating our Microbiome-Safe Scoring into product development, we provide the scientific foundation to create trusted, microbiome-friendly innovations that meet this rising demand. Our innovations are already proving that protecting the microbiome is not just better for health, but essential.
Microbiome-safe is no longer a trend. It is the foundation for the next generation of care.
