The missing link in menopausal skin
The Microbiome–Menopause Connection
The menopause journey isn't just a change in your hormones, it changes your skin's microbiome.
This is why your skin can suddenly feel drier, more sensitive, more reactive and harder to settle during perimenopause, menopause and post-menopause.
“Once you understand the connection, everything changes.” – Desré Tate, Founder
Myth
Skin changes during perimenopause, menopause and post-menopause are solely due to ageing and hormonal decline.
Fact
Emerging science has revealed menopause profoundly alters the skin’s microbiome, more than ageing alone. This is a critical link that has gone unacknowledged by the beauty industry.
Why That Matters
The microbiome helps support hydration, skin comfort, barrier function, inflammation regulation and skin resilience. When the microbiome changes, your skin can suddenly behave differently.
The Microbiome-Menopause Connection
ALL STAGES OF
MENOPAUSE
Hormonal changes and collagen loss
SKIN FUNCTION
CHANGES
Oil production, hydration and barrier function are affected
MICROBIOME
CHANGES
The skin’s microbial mix begins to shift
SKIN BEHAVIOUR
CHANGES
Visible changes, drier, more sensitive and more reactive
1 CHANGING HORMONES. CHANGING SKIN.
Is this you?
For some women:
- The moisturiser you've used for years no longer feels hydrating enough.
- Redness and irritation appear more easily.
- Products that never caused problems suddenly sting or irritate.
- Breakouts return when you thought they were long behind you.
- Thinning skin becomes more noticeable.
- Fine lines and loss of elasticity seem to appear more quickly.
The common thread is that skin begins behaving differently than it once did.
If you've ever looked in the mirror and wondered why your skin suddenly seems to have changed overnight, you're not imagining it.
This isn't simply ageing skin. It's changing skin.
2 WHAT THE RESEARCH SHOWS
Science confirms what many women feel
In 2024, researchers identified the first direct association between menopause and changes in the facial skin microbiome independent of ageing alone.
Significant differences were found between pre-menopausal and post-menopausal women of similar age.
These changes were linked to declining sebum, hydration changes and shifts in the skin’s natural oils.
The skin microbiome plays a far greater role in menopausal skin health than previously recognised.
Research source: Frontiers in Aging, 2024
3 WHAT IS THE SKIN MICROBIOME?
Your skin has its own ecosystem
Like your gut, your skin has its own microbiome, a delicate ecosystem of beneficial bacteria, fungi and viruses that work in balance to support healthy skin.
THE SKIN MICROBIOME HELPS TO:
Protect against external irritants, pathogens and water loss
Regulate inflammation and sensitivity responses
Strengthen the skin barrier
Maintain pH balance and hydration
Support collagen integrity, elasticity and skin renewal
If you'd like to explore how these changes show up in skin during perimenopause, menopause and post-menopause, read more about menopause skin concerns.
How Does Microbiome Skincare Work?
Just like the healthy gut story, you'll often come across terms like prebiotics, probiotics, and postbiotics. The same applies to the skin and each plays a crucial role in maintaining the overall health of your skin, strengthening the skin barrier, and promoting long-term skin health.
Prebiotics - The Food
Prebiotics are nutrients that feed and support beneficial skin bacteria. By nourishing the microbiome, prebiotics help reduce skin sensitivity and irritation, strengthen the skin barrier and support hydration and resilience.
Probiotics - Live Microorganisms
Probiotics are live beneficial bacteria that promote balance and restore the microbiome. These tiny microflora collaborate with other microbes to positively influence the overall microbiome of your skin.
Postbiotics - The ByProduct
Postbiotics are non-living by-products of probiotic bacteria such as enzymes, fatty acids and antioxidants that are easily absorbed by the skin. They are a type of bioactive molecule that can help with hydration, reduce inflammation, support regeneration and improve the skin's barrier function.
5 A NEW APPROACH TO MENOPAUSE SKINCARE
The world’s first skincare built around the Microbiome–Menopause Connection
For decades, menopause skincare has focused on hydration, collagen and visible signs of ageing.
While these remain important, emerging research is revealing another important piece of the puzzle: the skin microbiome.
Hormonal changes don't just influence the skin directly. They also influence the environment where the skin microbiome lives.
Once that environment changes, the skin can begin behaving differently too.
When you recognise that shift, formulation priorities change and the entire approach to menopausal skincare changes with it.
That's why Nu Allumé became the first and currently the only skincare brand in the world built around the Microbiome–Menopause Connection.
Created specifically for women experiencing perimenopause, menopause and post-menopause, every formulation was designed with one understanding at its core:
Shop The Range
Explore Our Microbiome Focused Formulas And Experience The Difference
Nu Allumé Postbiotic Papaya Cleansing Crème
Nu Allumé Aloe & Snow Peach Postbiotic Day Moisturiser
Nu Allumé Postbiotic Berry Night Moisturiser
