Did you know your body is home to billions and billions of skin-balancing bacteria? They create your microbiome: it’s as unique as your DNA and acts like a second layer of protection for your skin. Your microbiome can be your skin’s best friend or, thanks to quorum sensing, your skin’s worst enemy.

What’s Quorum Sensing?
Bacteria are harmless as individuals, but they’re not exactly anti-social. In fact, scientific research shows that bacteria can sense and “talk” to each other to form a group through quorum sensing. And as a group, these bacteria can throw off skin’s balance, triggering the irritation associated with breakouts.

The Bacteria/Breakout Connection
According to Sarah LaFontaine, Sr. Manager of Global Education Content at Murad, “Upset your skin’s bacteria balance, and you’ll have upset skin that shows as dryness and irritation that can lead to breakouts.” Thanks to quorum sensing, we know that microbiome bacteria can be as much of an acne trigger as is P. Acnes (Propionibacterium acnes, the bacteria that lives at the base of the hair follicle).

How Face Moisturizers for Acne-Prone Skin Can Help
Reaching for a moisturizer when you have oily skin can seem counterintuitive. However, your oil glands might be in overdrive because skin is dry and craving moisture. Look for moisturizers like Murad’s Clarifying Water Gel. This water-light, non-comedogenic hydrator won’t feel heavy on skin or weigh it down, and that makes it a perfect year-round moisturizer for clearer-looking skin. Plus, it contains innovative Quorum Sensing Technology from Korean red pine extract to interrupt communication so bacteria can’t form a group and cause an imbalance. The result? Your microbiome stays balanced, and you see clearer, hydrated, and healthier-looking skin!