The biofilm problem

You’ve tried it all. Harsh cleansers, sticky face masks, and spot treatments that smell like they could power a small rocket. Maybe they helped for a while. Maybe they didn’t. But somehow, the breakouts always return.

What if the issue isn’t how many products you’re using, or how strong they are, but what you’re fighting?

Meet biofilms: microscopic sticky communities that allow bacteria to hide from you and everything you throw at it.

First, what is biofilm?

Imagine a city built for bacteria. A crowded, glue-like neighborhood where microbes live together, share information, and work together to defend themselves.

When bacteria settle on your skin, they begin producing a sticky substance known as extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) that helps protect them from harsh environments. EPS is made up of protein, DNA, and other molecules that create a kind of gel-like armor for the bacteria living inside, locking them in place and shielding them from your skincare.

It's this combination of EPS and bacteria that constitutes a biofilm. It’s estimated that around 80-90% of all bacteria on Earth live inside biofilm communities; and naturally, that includes the bacteria on our skin.

Biofilms versus 'normal' bacteria

Bacteria inside a biofilm behave very differently from free-floating, or “planktonic,” bacteria. They:

• • Communicate with each other to collectively change their behaviour, a process called quorum sensing

• • Share resources and genetic material, including resistance genes

• • Become much harder to reach with traditional methods that do not break down the EPS barrier

Biofilm and breakouts

In current research, scientists have discovered that the bacteria Cutibacterium acnes (formerly Propionibacterium acnes) can form biofilms inside hair follicles.

"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."

From: The role of Propionibacterium acnes biofilm in acne vulgaris. https://doi.org/10.13188/2373-1044.1000029

Once bacteria is protected inside their biofilms, they become up to 5,000 times more resistant to attacks. That’s why spot treatments and cleansers can sometimes feel like they’re doing nothing… because they aren't truly working if they’re not designed to break through that sticky matrix.

So… is that why my breakouts aren't going away?

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.

Studies measuring the effectiveness of some of the most popular chemicals in skincare have found that while they are markedly effective at killing planktonic bacteria, none of these ingredients are as effective at disrupting EPS or eradicating biofilm cultures. Solutions like 2.5% and 5% benzoyl peroxide have even been found to be 'biologically ineffective' in the presence of biofilms. Source

"Unless you're targeting the biofilm structure before the bacteria inside, it's like trying to sneak past the bouncer to get into the club. Not happening!"

That’s why you may experience that frustrating pattern: clear → breakout → clear → breakout again and again and again. You're managing it, but not cleansing away the foundation that's allowing it to thrive in the first place.

How Panaclear approaches skincare differently

Most skincare isn’t designed to break down biofilm's EPS structure. Panaclear is. It's how we get results like these:

Our formula works thanks to a brand new cleansing process we invented called hyperprotonation.

Hyperprotonation is a dynamic reaction between an acid and a base inside the formula that keeps generating fresh hydronium ions (hydrogen that's been supercharged with an extra proton).

You can imagine it like a tiny engine running on your skin. It's continuously releasing a gentle stream of protons that gently exfoliate dead cells, loosen clogged oil, and break through the protective EPS barrier bacteria build around themselves, leaving you with clearer looking skin free from microscopic buildup.

In laboratory testing, this process showed remarkable results.

"[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 sticky terrain bacteria depend on to thrive.