Some of our consumer products have the potential to change the human microbiome or raise microbiological concerns such as antimicrobial resistance. To ensure our consumers are protected, we are building and applying new scientific capabilities to assess these microbiological risks using robust, science-based risk assessment and novel assessment approaches. To do this, we are collaborating with external experts.
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR)
When bacteria develop resistance mechanisms to an antimicrobial ingredient this is known as antimicrobial resistance. Many of our hygiene products contain antimicrobial actives (microbicides) which play an important role in practices that are used to maintain human health e.g. handwashing or disinfection of surfaces. Working with external experts, we have developed a framework to assess the likelihood of bacteria developing resistance during use – both to microbicides and cross-resistance to clinically-relevant antibiotics. Our approach considers factors such as exposure (in-use conditions), the weight of evidence considerations (e.g., history of use), and predictive and refined in vitro protocols.
Resources
Publications, presentations, posters, videos, and learning materials for Microbiology
