Bringing Psychodermatology into Personal Care: A Comprehensive Overview

Introduction

On 10 September 2025, Cosmetics Cluster UK (CCUK) convened Bringing Psychodermatology into Personal Care at The Spine, Liverpool. This event brought together clinicians, academics, industry leaders, regulatory experts, and innovators. The aim was to explore how psychodermatology—a clinical field traditionally rooted in dermatology, psychiatry, and psychology—can be responsibly translated into the personal care sector.

The programme combined clinical case perspectives, cutting-edge science, applied consumer research, product innovation, regulatory frameworks, and practical demonstrations. This report synthesizes the day’s presentations, highlighting how skin and mind are linked. It also discusses how personal care can enhance emotional wellbeing while supporting skin health.

Opening Address

Dr. Katerina Steventon, CCUK Director

Dr. Steventon set the tone by drawing on 15 years of clinical practice. She emphasized the lived experience of consumers: their nuanced needs, the importance of validation, and the vicious cycle whereby stress and social sensitivity aggravate skin conditions.

She reminded the audience that both the brain and the skin arise from the embryonic ectoderm. Both maintain body homeostasis throughout life. Disrupted skin can worsen mental health, just as stress and inflammation can exacerbate skin disorders.

Dr. Steventon articulated a vision for psychodermatology in personal care built on transparent dialogue, scientific responsibility, and respect for its clinical roots. She highlighted the importance of evidence-based translation and the need to define regulatory and commercial boundaries clearly.

Living with Skin Disease

Dr. Alexandra Mizara, Consultant Counselling Psychologist

Dr. Mizara presented the case of Amelia, a 20-year-old with acne. She demonstrated how visible skin conditions can erode confidence, disrupt sleep, and lead to social isolation. Data from psychodermatology services show that 85% of people with skin disease report significant psychological impact, with up to 30% experiencing clinical levels of distress.

She explored the “social mirror,” where individuals perceive themselves through the imagined gaze of others. This perception is influenced by cultural standards and media representations. Positive appearance-related feedback activates brain reward centres; negative feedback, by contrast, heightens stress and reinforces stigma.

Her conclusion was clear: psychological health and skin health are inseparable. Interventions must go beyond creams to address acceptance, identity, and resilience. “Appearance is one part of the story,” she noted, “but not the whole story.”

The Skin–Mind Axis in Practice

Dr. Timo Giesbrecht, Sensory Perception & Neuroscience Leader, Unilever R&D

Dr. Giesbrecht focused on quantifying the interplay between skin, mind, and wellbeing. He underscored that cosmetic products often form part of consumers’ resilience strategies—tools that help them cope with stress and maintain confidence.

Two major contributions stood out during his presentation:

1. Measurement tools – The CARE (Condition and Affective Response Evaluations) questionnaires have been developed for hair/scalp, skin, and underarm. These capture nuanced variations in healthy consumers often missed by traditional quality-of-life instruments.

   
   

2. Microbiome associations – Emerging research links skin microbiome composition at specific body sites with wellbeing markers, in ways that parallel the gut-brain axis. For example, Cutibacterium abundance across the face, axilla, and forearm correlated with higher self-reported wellbeing.

   
   

He concluded that psychodermatology offers the chance to create consumer products that are not only cosmetic but therapeutic in effect—supporting both skin health and emotional balance.

The Art and Science of Touch

Dr. Katerina Steventon, Independent Skincare Consultancy

In her practical lunchtime session, Dr. Steventon turned to touch as a therapeutic modality. Drawing on neuroscience, she explained how C-tactile afferents—nerve fibres optimally activated by gentle, slow stroking—mediate the affective quality of touch. On the face and scalp, where mechanosensory innervation is dense, touch can down-regulate stress and induce calm.

She reviewed evidence showing that structured rituals of facial and scalp self-massage can:

• Reduce cortisol and heart rate,

• Improve sleep quality,

• Boost skin microcirculation, lymphatic drainage, and collagen production,

• Enhance self-perception and emotional resilience.

  
  

She demonstrated practical techniques, from effleurage to reflexology, urging brands to integrate ritual design—speed, pressure, rhythm—into product experience.

Innovation Spotlight: Zenakine™

Dr. Bhaven Chavan, Croda

Dr. Chavan presented Zenakine™, a postbiotic active derived from Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG. Chronic stress, he explained, accelerates biological ageing through cortisol-driven inflammation and sleep disruption.

Clinical and laboratory studies demonstrated that Zenakine™:

• Triggered immediate emotional relaxation measured via EEG and galvanic skin response,

• Improved sleep duration and quality within two weeks,

• Enhanced wellbeing scores, self-esteem, and emotional balance,

• Stimulated synthesis of collagen, laminins, and fibronectin, reinforcing the extracellular matrix,

• Rebalanced circadian gene expression disrupted by cortisol,

• Increased cellular energy (NAD+/ATP) production.

  
  

The work illustrates how bio-inspired actives can target both visible ageing and emotional wellbeing, positioning stress resilience as a new axis of skin care innovation.

Regulation, Responsibility and Claims

Olivia Santoni, Bloom Regulatory

Santoni outlined the complex regulatory landscape for neurocosmetic and emotional claims. The key message was clear: cosmetics must not stray into medicinal territory.

• Claims such as “reduces anxiety,” “improves depression,” or “treats insomnia” risk being classified as medicinal.

• Acceptable framing focuses on positive consumer experiences—uplift, calm, freshness, relaxation.

• Levels of substantiation vary: questionnaires suffice for emotional claims; neuroscience claims require both instrumental data and consumer self-report.

• The highest bar applies to full neurocosmetic claims, which must be supported by robust, reproducible scientific evidence.

  
  

She urged brands to adopt responsible claims and internal review mechanisms to avoid reputational and legal risk.

From Essential Oils to EEG

Fraser Fergie

Fergie traced a lineage from traditional uses of essential oils—lavender, neroli, sandalwood, ylang-ylang—through to modern validation using EEG and fMRI. He explained how terpenes such as limonene and β-caryophyllene act on brain regions including the amygdala and hippocampus, modulating relaxation and mood.

He also highlighted discoveries of olfactory receptors in keratinocytes, showing that skin can “smell” certain compounds. This triggers pathways involved in repair and regeneration. This opens the possibility of designing fragrances that work simultaneously through skin and brain to enhance wellbeing.

Closing Reflections

Several themes resonated across the day:

• Clinical respect: Psychodermatology remains a medical discipline; personal care must honour this heritage.

• Language: Clustering of terms demonstrates that there is a shared language or ‘middle ground’ where terms reflect both the cosmetic and clinical space.

• Evidence-based translation: From questionnaires to EEG, robust science must underpin all claims.

• Touch and ritual: Product efficacy is shaped not only by ingredients but also by how consumers apply them.

• Regulatory clarity: Responsible communication ensures innovation is credible and sustainable.

• Holistic wellbeing: The next frontier of personal care is resilience, sleep, and self-acceptance.

  
  

Conclusion and Next Steps

Bringing Psychodermatology into Personal Care demonstrated that psychodermatology is no longer confined to the clinic. It has become a vital framework for personal care, blending science, sensory design, and self-care.

To build on this momentum, CCUK is forming a Task Force to develop shared measures, claims frameworks, and guidance for translating psychodermatology responsibly into personal care. If you wish to be part of this initiative, please get in touch with CCUK by 7 October 2025.