Biofilm: The ‘Secret Enemy’ Of Clearer Looking Skin

Bacteria’s stickiest secret explained.

The biofilm problem

You’ve tried everything: benzoyl peroxide, salicylic acid, spot treatments that smell like rocket fuel. Maybe they worked for a while. Maybe they didn’t. Either way, the breakouts always seem to find their way back.

But what if the issue isn’t how many products you’re using or hard you’re fighting, but what you’re fighting?

Let’s talk about biofilm: the invisible, sticky forcefield that’s been quietly sabotaging your skincare routine.

First, what is biofilm?

Think of biofilm as a city for microbes. A dense, sticky neighborhood where bacteria live, communicate, and protect themselves. While this may be the first time you’ve heard of it, it’s not a new discovery. Biofilm was first observed in the 1600s, but it’s only recently being talked about in skincare and it’s kind of a big deal when it comes to breakouts.

Here’s how it works: when bacteria land on a surface like your skin, a toothbrush, a contact lens case, or almost any other surface you can think of, they start secreting a slimy, glue-like substance known as extracellular polymeric substance (EPS). EPS is a mix of many different kinds of molecules including proteins, lipids, extracellular DNA and polysaccharides (long-chain carbohydrates) that protect the bacteria living inside. This EPS forms a matrix, or a protective 3D shield, that anchors bacteria in place and lets them multiply safely away from the harm of skincare.

It's estimated around 80-90% of all the bacteria in our environments live within biofilms, so it's no surprise that it's taken up residence on our skin, too.

Inside of a biofilm, bacteria can:

• Communicate with each other through chemical signals (a process called quorum sensing)
• Share resources and genetic material (including resistance genes that help them grow stronger)
• Adapt rapidly to environmental changes and evade detection by your immune system
• Become highly resistant to antibiotics, antiseptics, and, yes, even your anti-acne skincare.

Once established, a biofilm becomes incredibly hard to remove. It’s why your blemishes keep coming back even when you thought they were gone. It's the missing link in those inflamed, almost immovable breakouts that don’t seem to respond to conventional chemicals like benzoyl peroxide.

"The method by which a seemingly harmless commensal [bacteria that normally lives on the skin without causing harm] triggers such a strong immune response has confused scientists for decades until its biofilm-forming abilities had been discovered. It had been long known P. acnes have the potential to cause biofilms on indwelling medical appliances and catheters, as well as in vitro [lab environments]. However, it was not until relatively recently that biofilms were observed within the follicle in vivo [in living skin]."

From Linfante, A., Allawah, R. M., & Allen, H. B. (2018). The role of Propionibacterium acnes biofilm in acne vulgaris. Journal of Clinical and Investigative Dermatology, 6(1), 1–5. https://doi.org/10.13188/2373-1044.1000029 

On the skin, biofilm tends to form inside hair follicles and pores, where bacteria take up residence. Once protected inside their biofilms, they become up to 5,000 times more resistant to attacks. That’s why spot treatments can sometimes feel like they’re doing nothing… because they are, if they’re not designed to break through that sticky matrix.

Inside the acne bunker: Biofilm is more than bacteria, it’s a sticky, protective shield where they hide, communicate, and swap resistance. No wonder your cleanser can’t reach them!

So… is that why my acne keeps coming back?

Very possibly, yes.

Most traditional cleansers with ingredients like benzoyl peroxide, salicylic acid, and other harsh chemicals are designed to kill bacteria floating around, otherwise known as planktonic bacteria which isn’t encapsulated in a biofilm matrix.

Unless you're targeting the biofilm structure before targeting the bacteria inside, it's like throwing water at a brick wall expecting it to get inside the house.

That’s why many people experience that frustrating pattern: clear → breakout → clear → breakout again and again and again. You're managing it, but not clearing the foundation that allows it to thrive in the first place.

Why biofilm makes breakouts more stubborn (and more confusing)

Here's what makes biofilm such a problem:

• It anchors bacteria to your skin
• It makes them up to 5,000x more resistant
• It inflames your skin, disrupts your barrier and damages nearby cells
• It can regrow fast - or stop growing and remain ‘dormant’, only to reemerge when the time is right

So even when a breakout “heals,” the root structure often remains, ready to flare up again at the first sign of stress, sweat, or hormonal shifts. Sound familiar?

How Panaclear approaches this differently

Most skincare isn’t built to tackle biofilm. Ours is.

Panaclear is formulated with glycerol monolaurate (monolaurin), a compound found in coconuts and human breast milk that’s a natural anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial. We combine monolaurin with citric acid and a mix of emulsifiers that triggers hyperprotonation: a cleansing process we invented to physically disrupt and cleanse biofilms from your skin.

Hyperprotonation has been clinically shown to effectively target biofilms, removing the structure that bacteria rely on to wreak havoc on your skin.

"[Hyperprotonation] killed 100% of bacteria... this with the log10 result assures the product will attract significant attention in health and allied industries"

Professor Steve Wesselingh, Inaugural Executive Director, SAHMRI

With Panaclear, you’ve got a cleanser that not only cleanses away dirt and oil buildup, but clears the terrain bacteria depend on to thrive. Read more about the science behind Panaclear and hyperprotonation here.

It’s not just what’s on your skin. It’s what’s stuck to it.

If you’ve been stuck in the “try everything” cycle, you’re not alone. But the missing piece might not be too much dirt, oil or bacteria, it might be the biofilm that's been quietly protecting your breakouts all along.

Panaclear doesn’t just go surface-deep. We target the structure. We dismantle the system. And it’s changing the way we think about acne for good.