Product 06 of 14
Wipes and creams that support skin microbes when showering is not possible.
Water is precious in space, so regular showering is not available. At the same time, skin microbes shift in flight and those changes have been linked to rashes.
Rinse-Free Microbiome Skin Care is a concept for wipes and creams that clean and support healthy skin microbes without rinsing. The idea is to pair gentle cleansing with ingredients that favour a balanced skin microbial community instead of stripping it.
The product is at concept stage. The first task is to define what a healthy skin microbiome looks like for a crew and which ingredients are compatible with it.
The problem
In astronauts on 6 to 12 month ISS missions, gut, skin, nose and tongue microbes all shifted, with changes linked to skin rashes and immune alteration.
Source: published spaceflight studies and NASA planning figures; refers to work by other groups.
The science
Why this approach.
Skin is a living ecosystem. A community of bacteria and fungi helps protect against pathogens and keeps the barrier healthy, and ordinary soaps and preservatives can disturb it. In spaceflight the skin microbiome shifts, and those changes have been linked to rashes.
Without regular showers, crews rely on wipes. Conventional wipes are designed to clean, not to preserve a healthy microbial community. This concept asks whether wipes and creams can clean gently, avoid stripping beneficial microbes and use ingredients that favour a balanced skin community, while staying stable through years of storage.
In use
Across the length of a mission.
How this product is intended to fit into a crew's routine, from loading to return.
Wipes and creams packed in sealed, low-waste packaging.
Daily use in place of showering, in the confined habitat.
Continued use on the surface, where dust makes cleansing frequent.
Used packaging is minimised; samples inform stability and skin studies.
Design
Four decisions that shape it.
Microbiome-friendly cleansing
Surfactants and preservatives chosen not to strip or harm the skin's microbial community.
Rinse-free format
Wipes and leave-on creams that need no water.
Shelf life
Preservation that survives years of room-temperature storage.
Low waste
Compact, low-residue packaging for a closed habitat.
Risks
What could go wrong, and what we do about it.
| Risk | How we address it |
|---|---|
| Irritation or sensitisation | Mild ingredient choices and patch testing before any wider study. |
| Preservative trade-offs | Preservation that is effective yet gentle on skin microbes. |
| Measuring the microbiome | Skin-swab studies with and without the product to test the idea. |
Test plan
Ground, analog, orbit.
A staged programme: ground first, then analog crews, then flight.
Ground testing
Skin-microbiome studies with and without the product; storage stability.
Isolated-crew studies
Use studies in analog settings with limited washing.
Flight testing
Passive stability payload.
Partnerships
Dermatology and microbiome groups.
Questions
FAQ.
Is it cosmetic or medical?
It is a concept for skin care. It is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
Why not just use regular wipes?
Conventional products can disrupt skin microbes, which already shift in flight.
Related
Works well with.
Oral Microbiome Care
Lozenges and paste for long missions, where dental emergencies cannot be treated.
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Research programmeRead moreAll products on this site are under research and development. They are not approved or cleared by any regulator and are not available for sale. Nothing here is medical advice, and no product is intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Descriptions of research refer to published studies by other groups and do not claim that our products have been proven in space. Rinse-Free Microbiome Skin Care is a product under research and development and is not available for sale.
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