Welcome to Dove
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Your skin microbiome is a living, protective layer made up of billions of microorganisms (some friendly and some not-so-friendly) that sit on your skin’s surface. It’s a diverse community of bacteria, fungi and other microbes (often called skin flora) that live on your skin. Think of it as an invisible ecosystem that:
Just like a fingerprint, your skin microbiome is unique to you. It’s shaped by genetics, lifestyle, environment, diet – even whether you have pets. And it isn’t the same everywhere: your face, underarms and legs each host slightly different microbial communities.
When this ecosystem becomes less diverse or unbalanced, you may notice:
Several everyday habits can disturb the balance of your microbiome and weaken your skin barrier. So avoid these if possible to help balance skin microbiome:
Dr. Luke
If you’re wondering how to improve skin microbiome or how to restore skin microbiome, focus on gentle, consistent care:
Opt for gentle body wash and gentle skin cleanser formulas that are sulfate-free and mild to skin pH
Dove Body Washes are formulated with 100% gentle, sulfate-free cleansers and are as mild to skin pH as water – helping nourish skin while respecting its microbiome by enabling faster repopulation of friendly microbes.
Wash with warm (not hot) water and limit strong physical scrubs and harsh peels that can strip the skin barrier.
Look for microbiome skin care designed to be gentle and barrier-supportive – specifically moisturizers that replenish lipids and boost hydration.
Your underarms have a distinct microbiome and choosing the right deodorant is a balance of caring for your underarm skin and keeping odor-causing bacteria away. For a more microbiome-friendly underarm routine, choose gentle, caring deodorants. Our Aluminum-free Deodorants are formulated to care for delicate underarm skin while providing effective protection from odor. Try Dove Aluminum-Free Sensitive Stick, enriched with prebiotic glycerin.
Apply a hydrating body lotion or cream serum like our Prebiotic +Protection Cream Serum – specially formulated to care for your skin barrier. In five days, the skin barrier is restored, redness and irritation from dryness are relieved, and skin texture is smoothed for visibly radiant, healthy skin. Instead of containing live bacteria (probiotics), it uses prebiotics. Think of prebiotics as "food" for the good bacteria already living on your skin, helping them thrive.
Use it after showering to help lock in moisture and support the skin barrier – which in turn supports a healthy skin microbiome
Use SPF on exposed areas and rinse off pollution and sweat with gentle cleansers rather than harsher soaps.
Over time, this routine helps your skin microbiome stay diverse and balanced, supporting smoother, more comfortable, and healthy-looking skin.
Using soaps that are too harsh, taking frequent hot showers, overuse of strong exfoliants, and products with very high or low pH can all disturb the skin microbiome. Aggressive scrubbing and skipping moisturizer after cleansing can further weaken the skin barrier, making it harder for beneficial microbes to thrive.
Everyone’s skin is different, but many people notice improvements in comfort and dryness within a few weeks of switching to gentle, microbiome-respecting products like gentle body wash. Deeper barrier and microbiome balance can take longer – often several weeks to a few months of consistent care.
Look for:
Try to avoid:
Caring for your skin microbiome starts with everyday choices. By choosing a gentle body wash, gentle skin cleanser, and microbiome-conscious deodorant – like those from Dove – you can help support a healthy skin microbiome and beautifully cared-for skin, day after day.
