Anti-pollution beauty products are to protect skin from damage caused by the environmental pollution, industrial dust and car fumes. These factors lead to the occurrence of free radicals which weaken the natural protective barrier on skin and block the access to oxygen. To make things worse, they trigger pigmentation spots and wrinkles, lower the level of vitamins in skin and intensify the fragility of blood vessels. Who are anti-pollution beauty products designed for? What are the ingredients? Do they really work?

Anti-pollution cosmetics – who are these made for?

Anti-pollution beauty products are designed for every woman who lives in the city. Such products aim at neutralizing dangers coming from the environment. Even though genes largely affect the condition of the skin, we’re often the ones speeding up the ageing processes.

UV radiation is said to be the biggest danger resulting from the big city life. The sunlight causes skin dryness and keratinisation and triggers the occurrence of oxidative stress due to the release of free radicals which destroy collagen and elastin fibers, and consequently, make unfavorable changes in skin DNA. That is why we should use SPF-rich beauty products no matter the season because the sun operates 365 days a year. The sunlight is more harmful to skin in the city because the sunrays bounce off the blocks attacking skin with the double power. Your pace of living affects the shape of your skin as well, taking away the time for healthy meals, enough sleep and necessary relaxation.

Anti-Pollution Beauty Products – Ingredients

Activated Charcoal

Although activated charcoal make us think of industry or pharmacy, it’s become an unquestioned cosmetic hit. Its popularity is owed to the way it works: activated charcoal attracts positively-charged toxins like a sponge and binds with them, cleansing skin. Moreover, it prevents air impurities from clinging to skin, tightens skin pores, accelerates the cellular renewal and has anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory and illuminating effect. Even though it is designed especially for oily and acne-prone skin, it can be used by allergy sufferers, too. The properties of activated charcoal have made it find its place in washing gels, soaps and scrubs – products that you rinse out with water.

The skin which is exposed to the air pollution needs precise cleansing above all. To make the most of the activated charcoal, it must be left on skin for a few minutes. Activated charcoal-based masks are the examples of effective products.

Antioxidants

Anti-pollution beauty products must contain antioxidants – for example, polyphenols, flavonoids, coenzyme Q10, zinc, selenium and especially vitamins C and E. Vitamin C is known for sweeping free radicals away. Despite impressive effectiveness, including it in a product is a challenge – its pure form (ascorbic acid) is very unstable and sensitive to light and temperature (oxygenates thus loses its properties). That is why, its derivatives – especially esters of ascorbic acid – are used instead, being more stable and resistant to light and oxygen. Therefore, while shopping for vitamin C-rich products, always check which form of the vitamin they contain. On the other hand, vitamin E is able to break the reaction of free radicals and hinder the destruction of cells. This skill is transferred to cosmetics on condition that a product includes 1.5%-3% vitamin E; lower concentrations of vitamin E play a merely protective role. That’s the reason for making reading labels a habit. Because vitamin C is able to regenerate vitamin E for an active antioxidant form, cosmetics including both vitamins protect skin from free radicals more effectively. Reach for antioxidant beauty products even in the morning to gift the skin with daily protection against factors releasing free radicals and keep neutralizing them. The more antioxidants, the better; seek them in serum, moisturizers, vitamin foundations and lipsticks. On the other hand, your skin needs repair after an evening cleansing. Peptides, omega acid, retinol and allantoin have repairing power.

Do anti-pollution beauty products actually work?

Inhabitants of lots of countries are exposed to the harmfulness of substances found in the air in dangerous excess. These substances include sulfate dioxide, heavy metals and nitrogen oxide which cause pimples and eczema, and accelerate skin ageing. To hold it back, anti-pollution cosmetics contain ingredients that stop these processes. Just keep in mind that it is not the label that decides about the anti-pollution action of a cosmetic – it is the composition of ingredients.