Are Phages Safe? The Safety of the Probiotics Used at Phyla
Phages are an integral part of our microbiome. They are tiny microorganisms – viruses that kill bacteria – and are nature’s best defense against bacteria. They are so numerous that over 1,000,000,000 (yep, that’s a billion!) phages pass through our body every day. Thus we are constantly in contact with multitudes of phages, which are considered completely benign. In fact, they barely interact with human cells at all!
Phages are an integral part of our microbiome. They are tiny microorganisms – viruses that kill bacteria – and are nature’s best defense against bacteria. They are so numerous that over 1,000,000,000 (yep, that’s a billion!) phages pass through our body every day. Thus we are constantly in contact with multitudes of phages, which are considered completely benign. In fact, they barely interact with human cells at all!
The phages that we have discovered kill only the bacteria associated with acne Cutibacterium acnes, or C. acnes. Research has shown that these phages are naturally present on healthy skin, and they have likely coexisted with healthy skin for a very long time. Thus, these phages are completely natural and completely safe. In our biotech labs, we isolated several of these phages that target C. acnes and selected the ones that are highly stable and do not contain any harmful or problematic features in their genomes. This means that our phage will not cause antibiotic resistance, or create any superbugs. In fact, by hopefully lessening the use of antibiotics, we will be a part of the solution to the antibiotic crisis we are facing.
During the development and testing of our proprietary probiotic ingredient, we have followed, and routinely exceeded, the requirements for probiotic ingredients. This includes extensive safety testing and pharmaceutical-level manufacturing of this key ingredient. We’ve developed our acne care system with the highest levels of quality, and as a brand, we value real science and transparency of our methods and practices. Further, we think that most acne products are incredibly harsh to the skin and can lead to skin damage and premature aging. Our acne care system is far safer to use, as it delivers results without all those unwanted side effects like redness, dryness, and irritation.