Impact of Coconut Oil on Scalp Microbiome
We examined the effect of topical application of coconut oil on the scalp microbiome (bacterial and fungal) at the taxonomic and functional levels and analyzed their correlations with scalp physiological parameters. A 16-week-long time-course study included 12 weeks of treatment and a 4-week relapse phase on a cohort of 140 (70 healthy and 70 dandruff) Indian women, resulting in ~900 metagenomic samples. After the treatment phase, an increase in the abundance of Cutibacterium acnes and Malassezia globosa in dandruff scalp was observed, which were negatively correlated to dandruff parameters. At the functional level, an enrichment of healthy scalp-related bacterial pathways, such as biotin metabolism, and a decrease in fungal pathogenesis pathways were observed.