Biohacking Beauty: Fjör Founder Natalie Enslöw on Microbiomes, Hydrolytic Enzymes And Skincare’s New Era

Beauty is moving from bathroom shelves to biology labs, and Natalie Enslöw is helping to lead the charge.

The Nordic founder of fjör, a science-backed microbiome skincare brand, is redefining how we think about beauty. “fjör was built on one simple belief: if you restore what makes your skin alive, it can rebuild itself,” Natalie tells The Modems. “fjör is a high-performance microbiome skincare brand developed from a deep curiosity about how the skin actually functions as a living ecosystem.”

Born from Enslöw’s own battle with ultra-sensitive skin, fjör fuses biotech precision with Scandi minimalism. Powered by patented Hydrolytic Enzyme Technology – a breakthrough adapted from medical wound healing – fjör’s formulas are designed to help your skin behave younger, calmer, and stronger by increasing microbial diversity by up to 38% in just 28 days.

For Enslöw, beauty biohacking isn’t about chasing eternal youth. “I don’t want to live forever; I just want to live well and feel strong for as long as I can,” she explains. Her approach is data-led but refreshingly human. “Biohacking appealed because it’s both scientific and efficient. It’s about doing what genuinely works, in the most minimal and sustainable way.”

A morning person by design, Natalie begins her day with removing her mouth tape, “the first thing I do”, a five-minute skincare ritual, and a high-protein breakfast to stabilise blood sugar. Her minimalist routine is a metaphor for fjör itself: simple, streamlined, and quietly revolutionary.

A devoted advocate of real science over skincare marketing, she’s skeptical of “AI-driven skincare recommendations,” calling them “overhyped until we can read the skin in real time.” Instead, Enslöw dreams of developing a real-time microbiome reader – a device that could instantly map your skin’s microbial balance at home. “It’s where the industry will move next: less guesswork, more biology.”

With fjör, Natalie is quietly building that future. A future where skincare doesn’t just sit on the surface-it speaks to your biology…

Biohacking Beauty With Natalie Enslöw

I started fjör because…

Growing up, I had extremely sensitive skin, which sparked a lifelong question: how can we strengthen and protect the skin as the living organ it is? That curiosity led me down a path into the microbiome. Your skin is home to billions of microbes that determine how resilient and adaptive it can be. But modern life, with its sanitisation, over-cleansing, and pollution, has dramatically reduced microbial diversity, which scientists now link to the rise of skin issues globally.

Our formulas are powered by patented Hydrolytic Enzyme Technology, a Swedish biotechnology originally developed for medical wound healing that we’ve adapted for daily skincare. It works by disrupting the bonds that allow harmful bacteria to stick to the skin, gently exfoliating dead cells and supporting barrier renewal. The result is skin that becomes more microbially diverse, up to +38% in 28 days, calmer, stronger, and younger in its biological behaviour.

The reason I got into biohacking is…

For me, it’s about healthy lifespan. I don’t want to live forever; I just want to live well and feel strong for as long as I can, surrounded by the people I love. Biohacking appealed because it’s both scientific and efficient. It’s about doing what genuinely works, in the most minimal and sustainable way, so that the body can perform at its best.

That philosophy shaped fjör too. The goal isn’t to do more but to do better, to create formulas that help the skin function optimally with fewer, smarter steps.

One wearable I can’t live without is…

My Oura Ring. It’s the perfect balance of insight and simplicity, giving you the data you need without being intrusive. It’s helped me understand my recovery, hormone patterns, and how stress or poor sleep shows up in my body.

One of the biggest benefits has been connecting it with Natural Cycles, which gave me the confidence to come off artificial hormones and understand my cycle naturally. It’s been transformative in learning to work with my biology rather than against it.

The most useful app in my wellness routine is…

I use the Yuka app often to check ingredient safety and transparency. It’s a simple tool but incredibly useful for understanding what’s actually in the products you use, both in skincare and food. It keeps me conscious of quality and formulation integrity, which is something I care deeply about.

My morning routine starts by…

I’m quite regimented once I wake up. I take off my mouth tape, open the blinds to get natural light, and make the bed. It’s my keystone habit that creates order and presence before the day begins.

Then I go into my skincare routine, which takes less than five minutes. I brush my teeth, comb my hair, wash my face, pat dry with a microfibre cloth, and apply Hydrolytic Serum, followed by SPF, light concealer, and eyebrow gel. I believe your products should be powerful enough to carry the weight of simplicity.

I always get dressed for work, even when I’m home. It changes your state of mind and how you show up for the day. Then coffee and a high-protein breakfast, usually Skyr (a natural Icelandic style yogurt), to stabilise blood sugar. Once I’ve done that, I can focus completely.

My wind-down ritual is…

Sleep is non-negotiable for me. It’s when your body and skin do their repair work. I usually go to bed between 10 and 11 pm. About an hour before, I start dimming lights and putting my phone away. I’ll read or journal to help transition mentally out of work mode.

Technology has helped me understand my sleep cycles better. Through Oura, I learned how small things like light, food timing, and temperature impact my deep sleep score. But ultimately, it comes down to consistency and a calm environment. Even my skincare at night follows that principle. I use the Hydrolytic Serum + Moisturizer to support microbiome renewal while I sleep.

My favourite biohacking treatments…

Red light therapy and sauna are the ones I genuinely notice a difference from. Red light helps stimulate collagen and reduce inflammation, while sauna supports detoxification and circulation. I also love facial acupuncture; it’s subtle but powerful in balancing energy and improving tone.

But the biggest shift came when I started focusing on microbiome health, both on my skin and in my diet. Once that balance was restored, everything from breakouts to dullness began to regulate naturally.

My go-to supplements are…

A good probiotic and multivitamin. I keep it simple because the foundation matters more than the novelty. I also take magnesium and omega-3s regularly.

I focus most on getting nutrients through whole foods. I avoid preservatives wherever possible because they interfere with the body’s natural microbial balance. If your gut and skin microbes are thriving, most systems fall into place.

When it comes to cold plunges and infrared saunas…

I love both but I’m careful with timing. For women, cold exposure is best during the follicular phase, when energy and cortisol tolerance are naturally higher. During the luteal or menstrual phase, it can feel depleting.

I keep plunges short, around 30 to 60 seconds, and always after eating, never fasted. It’s about stimulation, not stress. Sauna, on the other hand, I use regularly throughout the year. It helps improve cardiovascular health, supports detox, and gives me time to disconnect completely.

An overhyped beauty-tech trend is…

AI-driven skincare recommendations. Algorithms can’t yet account for biological individuality, especially when it comes to the microbiome. Skin isn’t static; it’s responsive and deeply personal. True precision will come when we can read the skin in real time, not just fill out a quiz.

If I could invent a wellness tech product, it would be…

A real-time microbiome reader. Something that could analyse your skin’s microbial balance, hydration, and barrier function instantly. We already test for these things in clinical environments, but having that visibility at home would completely change how people understand their skin.

It’s where the industry will move next: less guesswork, more biology.

The science-backed skincare I swear by is…

Our Hydrolytic Enzyme Technology, without question. It’s changed the way we think about skin repair. These enzymes are intelligent; they clear away what doesn’t belong, create the optimal conditions for beneficial microbes to thrive, and support regeneration from the outside in.

When it comes to screens and tech overstimulation…

Blue light contributes to oxidative stress, but the bigger issue is what constant overstimulation does to our nervous system. Chronic low-level stress elevates cortisol, which weakens the barrier and slows down repair.

Instead of trying to block everything, I focus on helping the skin rebuild its natural defences. Hydrolytic enzymes do exactly that; they enable the skin to protect and repair itself, which is far more sustainable than surface-level shielding.

The one thing I wish the beauty industry would stop pretending is science-backed when it’s not is…

‘Proprietary’ blends that sound technical but mean nothing. There’s a lot of marketing built around renaming existing ingredients. Real science is about understanding mechanism, how something interacts with the body or skin at a molecular level, not just using impressive language.

My game-changing biohacking tip is…

Walking outdoors every day. It sounds simple, but exposure to nature introduces you to diverse environmental microbes that strengthen your skin’s ecosystem. It also calms the nervous system, regulates cortisol, and helps you think clearly. There’s real power in reconnecting with the natural environment your biology evolved for.

If I could give my 18-year-old self one piece of wellness advice…

Protect your skin microbiome. It’s the foundation of everything: balance, clarity, longevity. You don’t need a 10-step routine, just the right one. Focus on what strengthens the system, not what strips it away.

The Modems’ Byte-Sized Questions:

 First thing you do when you wake up?

Rip off my mouth tape

 Go-to wellness app?

Oura

 Most overrated ingredient?

Fragrance

 Most underrated ingredient?

Enzymes (difficult to work with but incredibly powerful biomimetic ingredient) 

 Biggest skincare regret?

Believing ’10 steps’ [skincare routine] actually supports your skin

 Beauty hack that actually works?

Doing less with better ingredients

 Your current wellness obsession?

Anything microbiome

 Hot or cold shower?

Hot shower 

 Sauna or Cold plunge?

Sauna 

 Coffee, matcha or mushroom latte?

Coffee

 Most-used emoji?

😂