In recent years, probiotics have attained popularity among consumers worldwide as a natural approach to maintain or restore human health. As a billion dollar industry, many products are already available in the market place with even more potential candidates in development. Knowledge gained from the Human Microbiome Project supports the utility of probiotics to achieve a balanced microbial community and potentially reduce or alleviate certain disorders. Most of the research studies and commercial probiotic products have focused on the human gastrointestinal tract; however, in the last few years interests and applications have extended to other physiological systems. Personal care products, which consist of overthe-counter drugs, cosmetics, and other consumer products, are used by almost everyone on a daily basis. Although the understanding and development of probiotics in personal care products is lagging behind the rapid progress that has been made in food products, recent studies have reported their potential uses in this market sector. This paper reviews recent findings related to microbial communities in the skin and oral cavity, where a large number of personal care products are applied, and discusses the opportunities and challenges of probiotics in these products.
initiated an investigation of an outbreak of Burkholderia cepacia complex (Bcc) infections. Sixty infections were identified in California, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maine, Nevada, and Ohio. The infections were linked to a no-rinse cleansing foam product (NRCFP), produced by Manufacturer A, used for skin care of patients in healthcare settings. FDA inspected Manufacturer A's production facility (manufacturing site of over-the-counter drugs and cosmetics), reviewed production records, and collected product and environmental samples for analysis. FDA's inspection found poor manufacturing practices. Analysis by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis confirmed a match between NRCFP samples and clinical isolates. Manufacturer A conducted extensive recalls, FDA issued a warning letter citing the manufacturer's inadequate manufacturing practices, and federal, state, and local partners issued public communications to advise patients, pharmacies, other healthcare providers, and healthcare facilities to stop using the recalled NRCFP. This investigation highlighted the importance of following appropriate manufacturing practices to minimize microbial contamination of cosmetic products, especially if intended for use in healthcare settings.
In a 2018 survey, U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) identified microbial contamination in 42 (49%) of 85 unopened tattoo and permanent makeup (PMU) inks purchased from 13 manufacturers in the US between November 2015 and April 2016. To confirm the results of our previous survey, we evaluated the level of microbial contamination in an additional 27 samples from 10 manufacturers from September 2017 to December 2017, including 21 unopened tattoo and PMU inks which were selected based on our previous survey results and 6 ink diluents that were not previously analysed. Aerobic plate count and enrichment culture methods from the FDA’s Bacteriological Analytical Manual revealed 11 (52%) out of 21 inks, from six manufacturers, were contaminated with micro‐organisms, with contamination levels up to 3·6 × 108 CFU per gram, consistent with our previous survey results. We identified 25 bacterial strains belonging to nine genera and 19 species. Strains of Bacillus sp. (11 strains, 44%) were dominant, followed by Paenibacillus sp. (5 strains, 20%). Clinically relevant strains, such as Kocuria rhizophila and Oligella ureolytica, were also identified, as similar to the findings in our previous survey. No microbial contamination was detected in any of the six ink diluents.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.