The skin microbiome and more recently the textile microbiome has gained a lot of interest within the science in the last few years. There has been a fundamental shift in our understanding of innate chemistry of the body and the role microbiome plays in shaping it. The emergence of next-generation sequencing has given unprecedented insights into the impact and involvement of microbiota in skin conditions and disease and the surface interaction with our clothing. Textiles are an integral part of our lives, and these insights into bacterial cell communities on our skin has led us to question the clothes we live in and who is living on us, and how this plays a role in our overall health. Between the skin and textile microbiome this interaction between the wearer and clothing is an opportunity for skin bacteria to attach to the textile surface, which can lead to the growth of certain strains. As our clothing is consistently in contact with the human skin; textiles are an important consideration when studying the cutaneous environment. Thus, textiles and clothing are essential players in the potential causation and treatment of skin diseases.

The microbiome plays a key role in body odour and skin health, and antibacterial fabric finishes on clothing have been designed in an attempt to reduce these issues. In the past decades, innovation has mainly focused on broad-spectrum antimicrobial technologies. Yet, these are associated with many drawbacks, such as antibiotic-resistant strains and the environmental and health effects of these chemicals. This research explores the incorporation of healthy skin commensal bacteria into textiles.

We are developing Probiotic Clothing, in which beneficial bacteria are incorporated into clothing textiles to prevent malodours. The skin and textile microbiome interact and the two surfaces influence pH, moisture content, odour generation and bacterial and chemical compositions. Probiotic Clothing embodies the necessity for the co-habitation of human and non-human cells and how the entanglement of these ecologies can work for our benefit. ‘Probiotic Clothing’ explores the impact of the textile microbiome and points out the direct involvement of particular microbes on malodour development and skin disease. This research is investigating so-called “microbiome-smart” textiles, in which healthy microbes or their enzymatic potential are applied, as such the microbiome is steered towards non-odour-causing and healthy communities.

The encapsulated healthy skin commensal bacteria are applied to be both durable on the textile, hydrophilic, and pH neutral and non-toxic. The microorganisms are activated in contact with the moisture on the skin, allowing them to dominate other less beneficial bacteria. The non-odour associated strain chosen which resides in the axillary area is applied to the garment and design to have close contact with this area of the body. The probiotic clothing technology provides an alternative to antibacterial chemicals in clothing and cosmetics and a solution for natural odour management and disease prevention. Designing microbiome-smart textiles can be a novel and alternative way to advance the functionality of clothing and to combat odour development or potential textile-related skin conditions. To make a shift in the effects of the antibacterial ingredients and toxic cosmetics that society has encouraged, the answers may be to look more closely at the skin’s living ecosystem and natural skin biome.