Enivromental Damage

Do you want to safeguard your skin from the toxic chemicals released into the environment? Switching to pollution protection skincare can help you. But before you do that, you must know everything about environmental damage skincare products. 

Read ahead to know everything you need to buy anti-pollution skincare products!

What Are Anti-Pollution Skincare Products?

Anti-pollution skincare products promise to safeguard your skin from the microparticles released in the air. As cities continue to battle poor air quality, people have been looking for skincare products that can form an external barrier on their skin to prevent microparticles from entering and damaging it. 

These pollution protection skincare products contain ingredients that target dullness, aging, and other such problems caused by the polluting gases and heavy metals in the environment.

Skin Issues Caused By Pollution

There are many skin diseases and skin allergies caused by polluting gases. Some key skin issues related to pollution are mentioned below.

Premature Skin Aging

Research has linked toxic air to premature skin aging. Further, harmful UV rays are the most critical environmental factor causing aging. The appearance of wrinkles and fine lines becomes more prominent because pollutants cause free radicals to get attached to your skin. 

Eczema

Eczema is a chronic skin condition that causes your skin to get red and inflamed due to many reasons. Although this is mostly in your genes, eczema can be easily triggered by allergies from the nanoparticles found in pollutants. 

1. Irritation And Breakouts

Air pollution can disturb the natural ecosystem of your skin. This tends to increase skin dryness and the growth of unwanted bacteria on your skin. Even if you don't have allergies to the pollutants, your skin can break out from the accumulation of the nanoparticles that cause the growth of acne-causing bacteria on the skin.

How Does Anti Pollution Skincare Work?

Current scientific research suggests that pollution causes adverse effects on the skin by 4 mechanisms:

• Generation of free radicals
• Impairment of the skin barrier
• Activation of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR)
• Alterations of skin microflora

Ozone found in the atmosphere releases free radicals in the surrounding. It also depletes antioxidants found in the epidermis (topmost level of the skin). The aryl hydrocarbon receptor is responsible for melanogenesis. Its activation breaks down melanin in the skin, which causes the external barrier of the skin to get compromised.

All of this causes oxidative stress on the skin. This oxidative stress is defined as an over-production of destructive reactive oxygen species (ROS). 

Anti-pollution skincare works by forming a layer of active ingredients on your skin. These ingredients can withstand the effect of pollution and also limit the concentrated nanoparticles from entering your skin. They fight the ROS to protect your skin barrier. 

Ingredients That Work Against Pollution

There are many chemical and ayurvedic ingredients present in anti-pollution skincare products that make them effective. Let's see some of these active ingredients in detail. 

Antioxidants

Vitamin C and E are strong antioxidants that fight free radicals and give your skin barrier added protection against pollution. It has also been clinically proven that Vitamin C can lighten your dark spots and pigmentation. 

Vitamin E on the other hand is anti-inflammatory and is known for its healing properties. It repairs your skin barrier to give you healthy skin all over. Both of these vitamins help to counteract oxidative stress on your skin.

Niacinamide

It is also known as Vitamin B3 and is a must-have ingredient in anti-pollution serum. Niacinamide helps to renew and strengthen the skin surface. It also helps close your enlarged pores through which nanoparticles of dust can enter your skin. This helps in protecting your skin from polluted gases and chemicals.

Niacinamide also helps you to get rid of tired-looking dull skin. It also works like magic on fine lines and wrinkles. 

Rosehip Oil

This is also a potent antioxidant that fights free radicals to safeguard your skin barrier from the harmful effects of the sun. Rosehip oil is also very moisturizing. It contains Vitamin A and omega fatty acids that are beneficial nutrients for the overall health of your skin cells. 

Hyaluronic Acid

This acid is found naturally in our bodies. It helps trap moisture on our skin to keep it hydrated. However, with age, the levels of hyaluronic acid in our skin also decline. Thus, using products rich in hyaluronic acid can strengthen our skin barrier and keep our skin moisturized all day long. The best anti-pollution serums contain this ingredient. 

Best Anti-Pollution Skincare Routine

A good anti-pollution skin care routine can save you from the ill effects that different pollutants have on your gentle skin. Let's take a look at the general skincare routine that you can follow to keep pollution at bay. 

Cleanse Your Skin

Any skincare ritual starts with a clean face. Make sure to use a gentle cleanser to wash your face and get rid of impurities, excess oil, sweat, and dirt. 

Use Nourish Mantra Green Tea Tatva Scrub Cleanser to remove dead skin cells from your skin. This 2-in-1 formulation enriched with Green Tea Extracts, Aloe Vera Leaf Extracts, and Niacinamide cleanses the face of makeup, dirt, and other impurities while gently exfoliating dead skin cells. 

Key benefits of this face cleanser include: 

• It clears up excess oil and refreshes your pores without drying your skin
• Removes dead skin, build up dirt and residue
• Leaves skin with a radiant and youthful glow

Use A Facial Serum

After cleaning your skin, pamper it with a serum containing active ingredients such as hyaluronic acid, Vitamin C, etc. This will help you get an even-toned skin texture and brighter-looking skin. 

Urban Rani Facial Serum from Nourish Mantra is a lightweight skin serum formulated with fortifying plant-based AHAs, skin rejuvenating Vitamins B3 and C, luscious fruits, and vibrant botanicals. It is the best anti-pollution serum.

Key benefits of this skin serum include: 

• Targets visible signs of aging like fine lines and wrinkles
• Reduces dark spots and pigmentation
• It gently exfoliates your skin to reveal hydrated, glowing skin, reduces dullness, and keeps it looking plump and youthful.

Moisturize To Protect Your Skin Barrier

A good moisturizer forms a barrier on your epidermal layer of skin. This helps to keep your skin moisturized. Hydrated skin is less prone to getting irritated by nanoparticles present in the environment. 

A good pollution protection cream contains hyaluronic acid and plant-based natural ingredients that are free from harmful chemicals. 

Sunscreen Is A Must

Using a broad-spectrum sunscreen that promises to safeguard your skin from UV A and UV B is a must for people living in polluted areas. The harmful UV rays have the potential to cause unprecedented damage to your skin.

Face Masks For A Mini Spa

Facial masks, especially those containing clay take out dirt and impurities from your skin to make it look bright and fresh. Face masks also give you a relaxing mini spa feeling in the comfort of your own home. 

Mask Mini Trio

This trio contains a careful blend of natural ingredients, vitamins, and fruit extracts to deliver a refined complexion with a healthy glow. The set contains Holy Basil & Neem Vardaan Mud Mask, Exotic Black Turmeric Mud Mask, and Orange and Saffron Ananda Glow Mask.

All of these power-packed masks effectively deal with free radical damage and strengthen your complexion by deeply nourishing the skin. These masks absorb excess moisture and oil from your face to give you a natural glow without the oiliness. They are a must-have anti-pollution skincare product. 

Exotic Black Turmeric Mud Mask

Formulated with a rare herb, Black Turmeric, this Mud Mask adheres to the skin and effectively delivers skin plumping. The moisturizing ingredients improve the skin’s elasticity and restore youthful luster.

Truglow Face Mask

This face mask is an earthy and powerful blend of Sandalwood and Turmeric for youthful, glowing skin. You can witness visible skin brightness with a single use. It also Improves your skin texture and reduces dark spots and blemishes.

Why Choose Nourish Mantra?

We are a modern international skincare brand focusing on holistic wellness. Our mission is to modernize traditional Indian beauty philosophies making them relevant to today’s changing lifestyle. We bring you the best anti-pollution skincare products.

The market is filled with brands that will make empty promises of delivering you natural products. But we have evidence of our "clean" beauty work spread all through our website. We offer the following benefits over other brands. 

• We are a PETA-certified vegan, cruelty-free brand.

• We offer a "clean" promise: our products are formulated without Parabens, SLS/SLES, Phthalates, Formaldehydes, Mineral Oil, Oxybenzone, Talc, and Phenoxyethanol. Synthetic Fragrance (if any) is below 1% concentration.

• We are transparent about our ingredient list. What you see is what you buy. Everything is well listed in our product description. 

• Our pollution protection skincare products come in sustainable plastic-neutral packaging.

Tips For Anti Pollution Skincare

• Eat food rich in antioxidants and vitamins. This can help you strengthen your skin barrier from the inside. 
• Always remove your makeup and cleanse your face properly before going to bed. This will help remove pollutants that stick to the outer layer of your skin.
• Drink plenty of water. When your body has enough water, it becomes easier for it to flush out toxins from your body.
• Serums are being increasingly used to work on skin problems like pigmentation and dark spots caused by pollutants and UV exposure.
• Always carry sunscreen with you. Reapply your sunscreen every 2 hours if you are working under the sun for longer durations.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do anti-pollution serums work?

Serums can be a great anti-pollution skincare product. They deliver vitamins and antioxidants to your skin and keep your skin barrier healthy and moisturized. They help repair and restore the skin as well. The major benefits of serum are listed below.

• Eliminates dark spots and pigmentation
• Provides a natural glow
• Has anti-aging effects
• Works well on acne-related problems

How can I protect my skin from pollution?

You can protect your skin from pollution by drinking plenty of water, eating healthy, and following an anti-pollution skincare routine. This routine involves thoroughly cleaning your face at least twice a day, using a serum for targeting your skin issues, moisturizing your skin for a hydrated look, and putting on sunscreen for UV protection.

Does pollution age your skin?

Many research papers have accepted the relation between skin aging and pollution. Pollutants compromise the outer layer of your skin by inhibiting the production of elastin and collagen.

This can lead to the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles, and uneven texture of the skin.

Does your environment affect your looks?

Yes, the environment that you live in always affects your looks. It is because the PM2.5 and other polluting nanoparticles in the atmosphere harm your skin. It has been proved that some of these pollutants can even inhibit the activity of elastin and collagen. This is one of the biggest reasons for premature aging.

Does sunscreen protect you from pollution?

A broad-spectrum sunscreen shields your skin from the harmful ultraviolet rays of the sun. They are also rich in antioxidants that fight free radicals. That's why they are able to give you full-proof protection against pollution.