Bioburden: the everyday exposures that add up
This Organic September, we’ve been asking a simple question: do you know what goes on your skin?
That question begins with skincare, but it doesn’t necessarily end there.
In her recent article, Emma wrote about what she called The Baby Cheek Test: the moment motherhood made her look differently at the products she was using every day.
Things that had previously felt like background noise - skincare, laundry products, cleaning sprays, fragrance - suddenly became part of the environment she was creating around her daughter.
Her experience will be familiar to many people. Sometimes it’s motherhood that prompts the shift. Sometimes it’s a period of ill health, hormonal change, increased sensitivity or simply becoming more curious about what we're exposed to every day.
Once you start asking those questions, however, the subject quickly becomes bigger than skincare.
And this is where the idea of bioburden becomes interesting.
What do we mean by bioburden?
In microbiology, bioburden has a specific technical meaning: it refers to the microorganisms present on or in a material, product or environment.
In the context of this wider wellbeing conversation, I use the term more loosely as a way of thinking about the cumulative demands and exposures our bodies encounter every day, from microbes and environmental pollutants to the effects of chronic stress and modern lifestyles.
We are constantly interacting with the world around us. We breathe air, eat food, drink water, apply products to our skin, clean our homes and encounter pollutants and microorganisms.
The aim is not to remove every exposure. That wouldn’t be realistic.
Instead, thinking about this wider cumulative load asks a more useful question:
Where can we reduce unnecessary exposure, while better supporting the systems our bodies already use to keep us well?
That distinction matters.
As Emma found when she first began exploring low-tox living, awareness can very easily tip into overwhelm. She went from barely thinking about ingredients to scrutinising almost everything around her.
A sustainable approach sits somewhere in between.
1. Look at your environment
One of the simplest places to start is with what surrounds you every day.
Cleaning products, personal care, synthetic fragrances and air pollution all form part of our everyday environment.
Rather than trying to create a completely “toxin-free” home, look first at frequency.
What are you spraying into the air regularly? What is washed into your bedding and clothing? Which products sit on your skin every day? Where could you choose a simpler or more considered alternative?
You might decide to reduce synthetic fragrance in some areas of your home, switch a frequently used cleaning product, ventilate rooms more regularly or use an effective air filter where indoor air quality is a concern.
The important thing is not to change everything at once.
Start with the exposures that are repeated most often.
2. Support the gut microbiome
The gut microbiome is home to a vast community of microorganisms and plays an important role in digestion, immune function and wider health.
Supporting microbial diversity through food is one of the everyday ways we can look after this internal ecosystem.
That might mean eating a varied diet rich in plant foods and fibre, alongside foods containing naturally occurring prebiotics and probiotics.
Fermented foods such as kefir and kimchi, alongside foods such as garlic, can be useful additions to a varied diet.
Again, the idea is not perfection or following a complicated regime. It is creating the conditions that support a healthy and diverse gut over time.
3. Support the body’s own clearance systems
Our bodies already have sophisticated systems for processing and removing metabolic waste.
The liver and kidneys play central roles in this, while the lymphatic system helps move fluid and waste products through tissues.
Rather than thinking in terms of extreme “detoxes”, I prefer to think about supporting these normal processes.
Hydration matters. So does regular movement.
Drinking enough fluid throughout the day supports normal kidney function, while movement supports circulation and lymphatic flow.
Exercise that makes you sweat can also be a valuable part of a healthy routine - not because we need to force the body to “detox”, but because regular physical activity supports many of the systems involved in overall health.
The foundations matter too
Bioburden is not only about what comes into contact with the body. The way we live can influence how well we cope with everyday demands too.
Sleep
Sleep is one of our most important periods of repair and restoration.
During deep sleep, the brain’s glymphatic system is particularly active, helping clear metabolic waste accumulated during waking hours.
Most adults benefit from aiming for around seven to nine hours of sleep, with a cool, dark and calm bedroom environment supporting good sleep quality.
Stress
Chronic stress affects the body in ways that extend far beyond how we feel emotionally.
Sustained elevations in stress hormones such as cortisol can influence immune function, sleep, digestion and the skin barrier.
This doesn't mean we need a perfect meditation practice.
Ten minutes of breathing, walking without a phone, spending time outside or creating a calmer start to the morning can all form part of reducing the overall demands being placed on the body.
Food and fibre
A varied, whole-food diet provides the nutrients and fibre needed to support digestive health and regular elimination.
For many adults, aiming for roughly 25–30g of fibre a day through vegetables, fruit, whole grains, nuts, seeds and legumes can be a useful target.
The emphasis should be on variety rather than restriction.
Movement
Regular low-to-moderate intensity movement supports circulation and lymphatic drainage, as well as sleep, stress management and metabolic health.
Walking, gardening, swimming, stretching, cycling and dancing all count. Supporting the body doesn't need to look like another demanding wellness routine!
So where should you start?
This is the part I think is most important. Don't turn reducing bioburden into another thing to fear.
In Emma’s first article, she described using ingredient-checking apps as “tools, not rules”. It's a useful principle for this conversation. Knowledge should help us make more informed choices, not leave us frightened of everything in our environment.
So begin where it feels manageable:
- Audit the things you use every day
- Choose whole, varied foods where you can
- Drink enough water
- Move regularly
- Protect your sleep
- Look at where fragrance or unnecessary household products may have quietly accumulated
- And when something runs out, consider whether you want to replace it with the same thing or make a different choice
Why skincare can still be a good first step
Skincare is only one part of the wider picture, but it remains a practical place to begin because it's something many of us apply directly to our skin every morning and evening.
As we explored in our Organic September article, knowing what goes on your skin means looking beyond a list of appealing ingredients. It means considering sourcing, formulation, preservation, performance and the standards behind the finished product.
At Nourish London, that has never meant suggesting that “natural” automatically means better, or encouraging people to fear conventional ingredients. It means making considered choices, reducing what isn’t necessary and asking every formulation to perform.
It's absolutely possible to care about efficacy and make more considered choices at the same time.
Small changes add up
Bioburden can sound like a big idea. In practice, reducing unnecessary load doesn't need to mean dramatically changing your life.
Pay attention to the exposures that happen repeatedly, support the systems your body already has, and make gradual changes that feel sustainable.
Perhaps that's the most useful continuation of the low-tox conversation. The first step is becoming aware of what surrounds us. The next is realising we don't have to control all of it. We simply have to decide where our choices can make a difference.