# Naked Biome: Microbiome-Based Skin Therapeutics
High-Level Overview
Naked Biome is a microbiome-based therapeutics company focused on developing advanced therapies to treat and prevent skin diseases.[1] Rather than using traditional pharmaceutical approaches, the company leverages beneficial bacteria on the skin to eliminate harmful pathogens and restore skin health to a natural state.[1] The company serves patients suffering from acne and other microbial-component skin conditions, addressing a significant gap in dermatological treatment by introducing the first human skin-derived probiotic therapy.[1]
The company's core value proposition centers on solving a fundamental problem: many skin diseases lack effective, microbiome-aware treatments. By identifying unique microbial signatures in healthy versus diseased skin, Naked Biome develops targeted probiotic interventions that work with the body's natural defenses rather than against them.[2] The company has demonstrated early momentum, having successfully completed a Phase IB clinical trial in acne that showed both safety and early efficacy trends.[2]
Origin Story
Naked Biome was founded in 2015 and is headquartered in San Francisco, California.[3] The company was co-founded by Emma Taylor, who serves as CEO, alongside Daniel Nilson (Chief Microbiologist) and David Hanzel (Chief Scientific Officer).[3] The founding team brought together leading physicians, scientists, and industry experts with multidisciplinary expertise in microbiology, genomics, and drug development.[1]
The company's emergence was well-timed with the maturation of microbiome science. The Human Microbiome Project, initiated in 2009, created a foundational knowledge base and technological infrastructure that enabled Naked Biome's discoveries.[2] The company capitalized on rapidly decreasing sequencing costs and the accessibility of skin samples to build its proprietary database and advance clinical discoveries.[2] Early validation came through selection into the Illumina Accelerator, providing access to next-generation sequencing technologies, lab space in the San Francisco Bay Area, seed investment, and matching capital from the $40 million Illumina Accelerator Boost Capital fund.[2]
Core Differentiators
- Proprietary Drug Discovery Platform: Naked Biome uses next-generation sequencing to profile healthy and diseased skin, identifying unique microbial signatures that naturally defend against disease.[2] This genomics-first approach enables the discovery of probiotic treatments rather than synthetic drugs.
- Lead Product Innovation: The company's lead program represents a paradigm shift—introducing the first human skin-derived probiotic therapy for acne treatment, a category that did not previously exist in the pharmaceutical market.[1]
- Expandable Product Roadmap: Beyond acne, the platform is designed to address multiple skin microbiome-related conditions including eczema, psoriasis, rosacea, and seborrheic dermatitis, providing multiple revenue streams from a single technology platform.[1]
- Clinical Validation: Completion of Phase IB trials demonstrating both safety and early efficacy trends provides credibility and de-risks the development pathway compared to earlier-stage competitors.[2]
- Strategic Technology Partnerships: Access to Illumina's sequencing systems, NextBio translational genomics database, and Genologics Clarity LIMS software provides competitive advantages in data generation and analysis.[2]
Role in the Broader Tech Landscape
Naked Biome operates at the intersection of three powerful trends: the microbiome revolution, precision medicine, and genomics democratization. The company rides the wave of scientific validation that the human microbiome plays a critical role in health and disease—a paradigm that has shifted dramatically since the Human Microbiome Project's launch.[2] This timing matters because sequencing costs have plummeted, making large-scale microbiome profiling economically viable for drug discovery.
The company influences the broader biotech ecosystem by demonstrating that probiotic therapeutics—long considered marginal—can be developed with rigorous, genomics-informed science. This legitimizes microbiome-based approaches for other therapeutic areas beyond dermatology and challenges the traditional small-molecule drug development model. Naked Biome's success could catalyze a wave of similar microbiome-focused startups targeting the gut, respiratory, and other microbial ecosystems.
Quick Take & Future Outlook
Naked Biome is positioned to become a category leader in microbiome therapeutics, with acne as a beachhead market and a clear expansion pathway into adjacent skin conditions. The company's Phase IB data will be critical—positive results could accelerate progression to Phase II/III trials and attract larger pharmaceutical partnerships or acquisition interest.
The key inflection points ahead include regulatory approval timelines, competitive responses from larger dermatology companies, and the company's ability to expand its platform beyond skin. If the microbiome-as-drug model proves durable in acne, Naked Biome's platform could unlock entirely new categories of probiotic therapeutics, fundamentally reshaping how dermatologists and other specialists approach microbial-component diseases. The convergence of genomic tools, scientific validation, and unmet clinical needs creates a compelling opportunity—one that positions Naked Biome not just as a drug company, but as a pioneer in a new therapeutic paradigm.
