Its genome has been sequenced and a study has shown several genes can generate enzymes for degrading skin and proteins that may be immunogenic (activating the immune system).

[3][13][14] Cutibacterium acnes bacteria predominantly live deep within follicles and pores, although they are also found on the surface of healthy skin.

[3] In these follicles, C. acnes bacteria use sebum, cellular debris and metabolic byproducts from the surrounding skin tissue as their primary sources of energy and nutrients.

The cellular damage, metabolic byproducts and bacterial debris produced by the rapid growth of C. acnes in follicles can trigger inflammation.

[citation needed] Cutibacterium acnes is one of the most common and universal skin diseases, affecting more than 45 million individuals in the United States.

[23] The damage caused by C. acnes and the associated inflammation make the affected tissue more susceptible to colonization by opportunistic bacteria, such as Staphylococcus aureus.

Preliminary research shows healthy pores are only colonized by C. acnes, while unhealthy ones universally include the nonpore-resident Staphylococcus epidermidis, amongst other bacterial contaminants.

Whether this is a root causality, just opportunistic and a side effect, or a more complex pathological duality between C. acnes and this particular Staphylococcus species is not known.

[38][39] Cutibacterium acnes bacteria are susceptible to a wide range of antimicrobial molecules, from both pharmaceutical and natural sources.

[40][41][42] Several other families of antibiotics are also active against C. acnes bacteria, including quinolones, cephalosporins, pleuromutilins, penicillins, and sulfonamides.

[47] The antibiotic families that C. acnes are most likely to acquire resistance to are the macrolides (e.g., erythromycin and azithromycin), lincosamides (e.g., clindamycin) and tetracyclines (e.g., doxycycline and minocycline).

[48][49] However, C. acnes bacteria are susceptible to many types of antimicrobial chemicals found in over-the-counter antibacterial products, including benzoyl peroxide,[50] triclosan,[51] chloroxylenol,[52] and chlorhexidine gluconate.

Salicylic acid is a naturally occurring substance derived from plants (white willow bark and wintergreen leaves) used to promote exfoliation of the skin in order to treat acne.

These results suggest that SA has a multifaceted approach in treating acne vulgaris by targeting several key factors that contribute to its development.

[64] Cutibacterium acnes glows orange when exposed to blacklight, possibly due to the presence of endogenous porphyrins.

Notably, grapevine appears to host an endophytic population of C. acnes that is closely related to the human-associated strains.