A standard for profiling Cutibacterium acnes is now available to skincare brands, giving them a more credible way to substantiate acne and longevity claims.
SAN FRANCISCO, CA, UNITED STATES, August 6, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — HelloBiome, the microbiome intelligence platform for the beauty and personal care industry, today announced the launch of SLST (single-locus sequence typing), making the academic gold standard for profiling Cutibacterium acnes available to brands for the first time. Offered as an add-on within HelloBiome’s Clinical Claims Studies, SLST lets brands substantiate acne and skin-longevity claims at a level of detail that standard microbiome testing can’t reach.
Nearly everyone — acne-prone or not — carries a large amount of C. acnes, the bacteria most associated with acne. What differs between healthy and acne-prone skin isn’t how much is present, but which sub-type. Resolving those sub-types has long been confined to academic research, leaving many microbiome-related claims difficult to defend. SLST is the method the scientific literature relies on to make that distinction — and HelloBiome is now the company bringing it to market.
“For years, the most rigorous way to read the bacteria behind acne lived inside academic labs. We’re putting it in the hands of the brands who can use it,” said Dr. Elsa Jungman, CEO of HelloBiome. “It raises the bar for what a microbiome claim can actually prove — and it’s a standard no one else in the industry offers.”
With SLST, a brand can show whether a product shifts C. acnes toward a healthier, more balanced profile. The capability extends beyond acne: for longevity and anti-aging brands, SLST can confirm that a product supports the healthy sub-types of C. acnes rather than the acne-associated ones — a distinction species-level testing cannot make.
“Species-level data tells you how much C. acnes is on the skin, but almost everyone has a lot of it,” said Dr. Grace Park, CSO at HelloBiome. “The signal is in the sub-type. Being able to resolve it gives brands a far more specific, defensible foundation for the claims they make.”
SLST is available now as an add-on within HelloBiome’s Clinical Claims Studies. HelloBiome recently discussed this offering in detail through their Microbiome Intelligence Live series; you can learn more and view the recording by clicking here. Brands can learn more at [hellobio.me] or by contacting the HelloBiome team.
About HelloBiome:
HelloBiome is the microbiome intelligence platform for the beauty and personal care industry. HelloBiome helps brands, manufacturers, and CROs turn clinical microbiome data into stronger claims, validated formulations, and differentiated products — across skin, scalp, oral, intimate, nasal, and body. The company works with partners including COSMAX, Unilever, La Roche-Posay, Cocolab, and OneSkin.
Dr. Elsa Jungman
HelloBiome
elsa.jungman@hellobio.me
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