Acne is one of our most common inflammatory diseases, 70-95% of all teenagers are temporarily affected by the problem, and among adults 19% suffer from acne problems.
When a hormonal imbalance occurs in the body, sebum production in the skin increases. In the pores and cells of the skin, is the bacterium P. acnes (Propionibacterium acnes) that feeds on precisely fat and sebum, releasing substances that start an oxidative stress and inflammation in the pores, which results in acne, or pimples.
In addition to P. acnes, there are other bacterial strains in the pores of the skin, where S aureus (Staphylococcus aureus) can cause other skin inflammations such as boils (furuncules), abscesses and hair follicle inflammations (follicles).
A common treatment method against serious inflammations in the skin has been to use antibiotics, but when antibiotic resistance is increasing, and you see that about half of the P. acnes strains have been reported to be resistant to several antibiotics, the researchers have begun to look more closely at what you can get for help from the plant kingdom.
In a study from January 2019, researchers tested whether hops could have an effect against the bacteria that cause acne and skin inflammations.
Hops are rich in humulones and lupulones, which have an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effect on the cells in the top skin layer, which act as the body's protective barrier against cold, UV radiation, bacteria and viruses.
They also found antimicrobial activities against both P. acnes and S. aureus (including MRSA, S. aureus that is resistant to certain antibiotics) the gel used to apply the hop extract showed superior results compared to the placebo gel, which did not contain hop extract .
*It's good to point out that although these studies are exciting about the effects of hops, our products are not designed to have any medical effect and we have no studies that prove that the hops we added to it have either. We only sell our products as "cosmetics" under the Swedish Medicines Agency's skin care regulations.
This text is written by and belongs to HUMLE from Kalvsved.