Procter & Gamble scientists have discovered a link between dandruff and a microbe found on the scalp that could have ramifications for the prevention and treatment of skin conditions such as eczema and seborrheic dermatitis, and even skin cancer.

P&G’s research centered on malassezia, a microbe commonly found on the scalp that can lead to dandruff and more chronic conditions. A key member of the team, Thomas Dawson, who left P&G to take up the role of Senior Principal Investigator for Singapore’s Institute of Medical Biology at A*STAR, has now published a paper in the November issue of PLOS Genetics, detailing the first comprehensive genomic and biologic study of all species of malassezia. The new study, conducted by A*STAR researchers and P&G, enabled the scientists to identify the reasons malessezia thrives on the skin and will therefore allow them to work on a way to control it.

“This new information will allow us to better understand healthy versus unhealthy skin and hopefully learn to modulate the skin microbiome so as to transform unhealthy into perfect, healthy skin,” noted Dawson.