Pollution. Just hearing that word can make us feel all the not-so-good things. But let’s be honest: Pollution is all around us, unfortunately, and by pollution, we mean the “mix of hazardous substances from both human-made and natural sources.”

Some common examples of pollutants are vehicle emissions, the by-products of generating power and from manufacturing, fuel oils and natural gas to heat our homes, and the resulting fumes from producing chemicals. Basically, anything that contaminates our environment is pollution.

While experts agree that some types of pollution (carbon monoxide, lead, sulfur dioxide types of nitrogen dioxide, and particulate matters, to name a few) are improving—which is great news, there is no way to totally eradicate pollution, no matter how hard we try. And while you might suffer some small reactions to the pollutants around you, pollution can potentially negatively affect your physical health, including the health of your skin.

How can pollution impact your skin?

While you might worry more about how pollution affects your overall health now and in the future, which are very legitimate worries, it can affect your skin in some pretty significant ways including acne, Psoriasis, dry skin, skin cancer, premature aging, and rashes just to name a few.

Explore Our Clean Formula Washes that Contain Anti-Pollution Ingredients →

One expert described how pollution affects your skin by comparing it to how you inhale air:

You breathe in air, which then circulates throughout your body. Pollutants enter your skin through skin cell membranes (kind of like inhaling air) and then circulate throughout your body.

When it comes to your skin, this process can throw off the balance between antioxidants (which protect your cells and fight free radicals) and free radicals (which can damage your cells), potentially leading to the issues we shared above.

Ingredients that can protect your skin from pollution

All you need to do to find the skincare products that will offer your skin protection from pollution—as well as many other benefits—is look at the product label.

Top pollution-fighting ingredients to look for in skincare:

#1 Antioxidants: Antioxidants bind those free radicals before they can harm your skin cells. Here are some common antioxidants to look for (as well as helpful links if you’d like to learn more!):

• Vitamin E
• Vitamin A (retinol) 
• Vitamin C
• CoenzymeQ10 (CoQ10)
• Niacinamide (Vitamin B3)
• Polyphenols
• Resveratrol
• Glutathione
• Ferulic acid
• Astaxanthin

Some common ingredient names that include these antioxidants are shea butter, ascorbic acid, and green tea extract, to name a few.

#2 Ceramides: Ceramides are fatty acids (lipids) that help keep the moisture in your skin, which helps protect your skin from those free radicals that can cause so much damage as well as from the pollution-related issues we shared above.

#3 Hyaluronic acid: Like Ceramides, hyaluronic acid can help retain the moisture in your skin, offering added pollution protection over and above what’s naturally produced in your body.

#4 Probiotics and prebiotics: Pollution can negatively affect the balance of the skin’s microbiome (the naturally-occurring and helpful viruses, fungi, and bacteria that live on your skin), and probiotics and prebiotics can help restore and maintain this often delicate balance.

Explore Our Clean Formula Probiotic Lotion that Contain Anti-Pullution Ingredients

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While finding products that can help protect your skin from the effects of pollution might feel daunting, we’ve got you covered! We’ve created our skincare products to protect your skin from everyday life, including the effects of the pollution your skin faces every day.

Bonus Tip: Click here for one of our top hydration tips →

Protecting your beautiful skin from the daily effects of pollution might feel like just one more thing to add to your already miles-long to-do list, but with the knowledge we’ve shared and a little bit of label reading, you are well armed to keep your skin safe from pollution and all of its negative effects on your beautiful skin now and way into the future.