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Every time you step into a forest, something happens to your skin
The Finnish forest is a diverse ecosystem. On its surface, in its soil, and in the air live thousands of bacterial species that have adapted to northern conditions over millennia. When you walk into the forest, they encounter your skin and respiratory tract. Humans have always lived in symbiosis with these microbes.
But modern urban life has changed the situation. We spend more and more time indoors, use aggressive hygiene products, and have lost our daily contact with nature's diverse microbiota. Simultaneously, immune-mediated diseases such as allergies, atopic dermatitis, and autoimmune diseases have rapidly increased in industrialized countries. According to researchers, these phenomena are not coincidental.
Luonkos' forest microbe products have been developed to address this issue, backed by over a decade of scientific research.
A Finnish scientific breakthrough called Reconnecting Nature®
Reconnecting Nature® is a patented microbial extract developed by the Finnish company Uute Scientific. Behind it are researchers who have worked for years on the question: how can the health benefits of nature be integrated into urban daily life without people having to move into the middle of the forest?
Joint ADELE projects at the Universities of Helsinki and Tampere have shown that nature's biodiversity has a direct link to the development and function of the human immune system. When a child or adult is exposed to diverse microbiota, their defense system gets practice and learns to distinguish dangerous from harmless. When this exposure is lacking, the risk of hypersensitivities increases.
In October 2020, the first consumer products containing the Reconnecting Nature® microbial extract entered the market. Luonkos was among the first, and its forest cakes, handmade in Naantali, were the world's first cosmetic products to bring the so-called "forest bathing" experience indoors.
What does the extract actually contain?
Simply put, Reconnecting Nature® is a forest in a bottle. One gram of the extract contains up to 10 billion bacterial particles and an average of 600 different bacterial species originating from the Finnish forest environment. This is an exceptional number of species, considering that many laboratory-grown probiotic preparations contain only a few or at most dozens of species.
The key is diversity, not just quantity. Nature's biodiversity is based on numerous different species living in balance with each other. The purpose of the Reconnecting Nature® extract is to bring this same diversity to the skin in a small, controlled dose.
The extract is 100% natural and vegan. It is produced by combining various plant composts according to a precise recipe, resulting in a diverse bacterial community similar to that found in the Finnish natural environment. An important detail is that the extract does not require the exploitation of nature as a raw material. Valuable forest nature is not destroyed, nor are microbes collected directly from nature.
How does the product work on your skin?
The skin is not just a passive surface. Its surface has thousands of defense system receptors that constantly sense the environment. These receptors recognize microbial components and their metabolic products, and transmit information to the body's immune system.
When a product containing Reconnecting Nature® microbial extract is applied to the skin, the receptors encounter a similar message to what they would in a forest. The immune system receives a small and gentle reminder of the microbial diversity with which humans have evolved. This is called the "training" provided by nature exposure.
The effect is not the same as probiotics. When consuming probiotics, the aim is often to alter the gut microbiota by adding specific, pre-selected species. The purpose of nature exposure is different. Its task is to introduce a wide range of different species to the skin so that the body learns to recognize them. The skin does not radically change, but the immune system gets the exercise it needs.
Why does the skin benefit from this?
Humans are holobionts. This scientific term means that the body is an ecosystem comprising both its own cells and the thousands of bacteria and fungal species that naturally live on the skin's surface and in its tissues. Together, they form a functional whole.
The skin microbiome is an important part of this whole. It participates in regulating skin pH, protects against pathogens, and maintains the barrier function. Healthy skin has a balanced and diverse microbiota. If this balance is disrupted, for example, by stress, excessive washing, or aggressive products, it can lead to dryness, irritation, redness, or sensitivity.
Studies show that regular use of products containing Reconnecting Nature® extract supports this balance in many ways. They help restore microbial diversity, strengthen the skin barrier, reduce levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines, and promote collagen formation. One of the latest studies, involving 140 individuals with atopic dermatitis, showed that regular use of a cream containing the extract reduced the need for atopic medications.
This is a significant finding, and it is one reason why forest microbe products have gained particular popularity among consumers whose skin reacts sensitively or flares up repeatedly.
Finland, Lohja, and no animal testing
The Reconnecting Nature® extract is produced in Lohja, Finland, from Finnish raw materials. Uute Scientific operates according to strict ethical principles, and no animal testing is performed. This is an important principle that distinguishes forest microbial preparations from some similar products in the cosmetics industry.
Luonkos, in turn, handcrafts its forest microbe products in Naantali. All products are designed to work in cooperation with the skin's own ecosystem, not against it. There are no preservatives, added fragrances, or substances that would disrupt the skin's microbiota.
Bring the forest to your skin, even if you live in the city
You don't have to live in a forest to enjoy its benefits. Daily nature exposure is now possible at home, through natural cosmetics. Products containing Reconnecting Nature® extract are designed to meet a modern challenge: to maintain a connection with nature even when daily life takes you indoors.
The diversity of the Finnish forest is available to you every day when you open a jar or tube. Simple, and at the same time one of the most interesting scientific innovations in the field of cosmetics in the 2020s.
Explore forest microbe products
Sources and background for the reader
- University of Helsinki's ADELE projects on the connection between nature exposure and the immune system
- University of Tampere's research work in virology and immunology
- Uute Scientific Oy, Lohja, developer of the Reconnecting Nature® microbial extract
- Joint research by Luonkos and Uute Scientific on the effect of cosmetics containing forest microbes on atopic skin
