Earlier this month, L’Oréal had announced its partnership with uBiome, the leader in microbial genomics. Their goal is to conduct new research on the skin’s bacterial ecosystem, which serves as an important barrier for the skin. L’Oréal already has more than a decade’s worth of skin microbiome research, and uBiome has been collecting microbiome data from around the world by awarding grants to researchers in Nigeria, Australia, the United States, and other countries. Moreover, since 2016, uBiome has shown heavy investment into a patent portfolio that relates to the use of AI in characterizing microbiomes on the skin, which positions them strategically for partnership with the likes of L’Oréal. The Vice President of L’Oréal‘s Technology Incubator stated that the collaboration will yield more personalized skin care products for its customers.