I went to a talk today about new ingredients winning awards in the neurocosmetics space. Yes, neurocosmetics!
I have to admit, neurocosmetics wasn't a term I was particularly familiar with. But as I listened to the discussion around the connection between our skin, nervous system and microbiome, I became completely fascinated.
I've spent quite a bit of time researching the relationship between our gut and brain, but this introduced another fascinating part of the picture: our skin! The idea that our gut, brain, skin and the microorganisms living within and on us may all be communicating with each other is quite incredible.
And it got me thinking: have you ever noticed that your skin seems to know when you're stressed? I know mine does!
You're tired, overwhelmed or haven't been sleeping well, and suddenly your skin feels more sensitive, looks redder, feels drier or simply isn't behaving like it normally does.
One of the most talked-about emerging areas in skincare is neurocosmetics, based on our growing understanding that the skin isn't simply a protective covering. It's a highly active sensory, immune and endocrine organ that communicates with our nervous system.
It's known as the skin-brain axis. And now researchers are investigating whether our skin microbiome is involved in that conversation too.
So, what does that actually mean for your skin? And, perhaps more importantly, how much is good science and how much is the beauty industry's latest clever marketing term?
First, what exactly are neurocosmetics?
Despite their sudden popularity, neurocosmetics aren't entirely new.
The term has been used since the 1990s to describe cosmetics designed to interact with the neuro-immuno-cutaneous system within the skin. Potential applications include sensitive skin, redness, inflammation, skin ageing and skin exposed to stress.
What's new is our increasingly sophisticated understanding of just how much communication takes place between the skin, immune system, hormones and nervous system.
Researchers now describe the skin-brain axis as bidirectional.
In other words, your brain can affect your skin, but your skin can also send signals back through neural, immune and hormonal pathways.
Why does stress show up on our skin?
Most of us don't need a scientific paper to tell us that stress can affect our skin. We've seen it ourselves. But researchers are beginning to understand much more about why.
When we're stressed, our hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal, or HPA axis, becomes involved in the stress response.
This ultimately influences cortisol and other signalling molecules. Our peripheral nerves can also release neuropeptides including Substance P and CGRP, which participate in inflammatory processes in the skin.
Even more remarkably, our skin has its own local stress-response system. Skin cells can produce and respond to some of the same types of stress mediators involved elsewhere in the body.
With prolonged stress, research has associated these pathways with changes including impaired barrier function, increased transepidermal water loss and inflammatory responses. Stress is also recognised as a potential exacerbating factor in conditions including acne, psoriasis and atopic dermatitis.
This part particularly resonates with me because of my own skin story, and ultimately the story behind Hark & Zander. My problems started after I developed a reaction to a pair of new shoes. Then it seemed as though my immune system wanted to join the party, and pretty soon I was reacting to almost everything that came close to my skin.
After a year and a half of this, I was at my wits' end trying to find answers. I certainly can't tell you that stress caused my skin problems, but I can absolutely tell you that living with constantly reactive skin caused me stress.
And perhaps that's a good real-life example of why the idea of communication travelling in both directions is so interesting.
Where does sensitive skin fit in?
This is particularly interesting to us at Hark & Zander because we've always had a strong focus on sensitive and reactive skin. Sensitivity isn't simply about what's sitting on the surface of the skin.
Nerves, immune cells, keratinocytes and inflammatory mediators can all participate in the way sensations such as burning, itching, stinging and discomfort are experienced. That's one reason neurocosmetic research is exploring applications for sensitive skin, visible redness and skin stress.
It also reinforces something we believe strongly: looking after sensitive skin isn't about attacking it with more and more actives. Sometimes supporting the barrier and treating skin gently is rather more sensible.
And then there's the microbiome...
We already know our skin is home to a vast community of microorganisms collectively known as the skin microbiome. Increasingly, researchers are exploring whether these microorganisms, and the compounds they produce, participate in communication between the skin and nervous system. That has led to another term: the microbiota-skin-brain axis.
Certain skin microbes can produce metabolites that interact with skin cells and immune pathways. Researchers are investigating whether these interactions may also influence neuroendocrine signalling. But this is an area where we need to be careful.
There is exciting mechanistic research, but evidence that applying a cosmetic to the skin can meaningfully alter someone's emotional wellbeing through their microbiome remains very limited. Some researchers have cautioned that the claims being made about so-called psychobiotic cosmetics are getting ahead of the published evidence. That's an important distinction because interesting science doesn't automatically equal a proven cosmetic claim.
There is, however, a much broader and rapidly growing body of research into the relationship between the gut microbiome and human health, including communication along the gut-brain axis. It raises a fascinating bigger question: have we underestimated just how much communication is travelling to our brain from elsewhere in our body, rather than simply the other way around? We don't have all those answers yet. But it's a fascinating area of research.
Can skincare really make you happier?
This is where neurocosmetics can start drifting from science into marketing.
Of course skincare can make us feel good. A beautiful texture, a scent you love, taking five quiet minutes for yourself, enjoying how your skin feels afterwards... all of those things can contribute to a pleasurable experience. But that doesn't necessarily make a product a neurocosmetic.
In fact, dermatology researchers have specifically cautioned against defining any pleasant sensory cosmetic as "neurocosmetic". They've also questioned claims suggesting that cosmetics can directly influence the central nervous system or emotional state. That's a distinction worth remembering as the word neurocosmetic starts appearing on more labels.
Claims that a face cream can meaningfully change your brain chemistry, regulate your nervous system or improve your mental health deserve considerably more scrutiny.
So, is neurocosmetics science or hype?
The underlying science of communication between the brain, nervous system, immune system and skin is real and increasingly well documented. A major 2025 review analysing 159 studies described a complex bidirectional brain-skin system involving neurological, hormonal and immune pathways.
The emerging role of the microbiome is fascinating too, and actually an area I am interested in expanding my own research into.
Where the evidence becomes much thinner is when those biological mechanisms are translated into claims that a particular cosmetic can alter your mood or emotional wellbeing. Researchers themselves acknowledge that much of our mechanistic understanding still comes from laboratory and animal studies, with comparatively limited high-quality human evidence. But that's okay. Science doesn't need to have all the answers for us to be interested in where it's heading.
What does this mean for the way we look after our skin?
Perhaps the most useful thing to come from neurocosmetics isn't another ingredient to add to our bathroom shelves. Perhaps it's simply a different way of thinking about our skin.
Our skin isn't an isolated surface that simply needs to be scrubbed, peeled and corrected.
It's a living organ interacting with our nervous system, immune system, hormones, environment and microbial community. That makes supporting the things we already know matter even more important: maintaining a healthy skin barrier, preserving hydration, being thoughtful about the skin microbiome and avoiding unnecessary irritation. And perhaps paying attention when our skin is trying to tell us something.
At Hark & Zander, we won't be relabelling our skincare "neurocosmetics" simply because it's the latest beauty terminology. But we will be watching the science closely and with a lot of interest. The more researchers discover about the relationship between our skin, microbiome and nervous system, the more we learn that there is far more going on beneath the surface of our skin than we ever realised. I personally find it amazing just how complex and interconnected our bodies are. Everything we learn seems to open the door to a thousand more things we didn't know.
And there’s a little reminder for the ladies here in all of this too.
I know we women work hard and often carry more than just our own load. At the beginning of this week, I felt completely overwhelmed. I'm also very good at doing the typical thing of feeling guilty if I take any time for myself. But this time I did.
I took two hours out of work and went home and planted my vege garden for the spring ahead.
And it was exactly what I needed. A mental health afternoon, as we used to call it when I was nursing. So perhaps that's where I'll leave you this week. Look after yourself. Give yourself permission to take a little time when you need it. Your mind might appreciate it. And, as we're beginning to discover, your skin just might too.
