What's Anti-Pollution Skincare? And How Does It Work?

Climate change is a problem wherever you live, and with so many of us living in urban areas (aka cities, towns and suburbs), we're a bit more aware of pollution these days - whether that's environmental pollution of harmful blue light rays from our screens.

There are plenty of studies* that have linked pollution to skin conditions like hives, acne, premature ageing, and eczema. Adding even one anti-pollution product to your skincare routine will help you battle those external aggressors.

What is anti-pollution skincare?

In a nutshell, anti-pollution skincare acts as a barrier against pollutants – almost in the same way sunscreen protects against UV rays!

Anti-pollution skincare can come in different forms, from a mist shield to a gel-primer, and more commonly, in mask form. Anti-pollution face masks, like the Madara Smart Anti-Pollution Repair Mask, helps to remove the pollutants from your skin after you've been exposed.

How does anti-pollution skincare work?

Just like sunscreen, it's a product you need to use daily for maximum effectiveness. Different skin care ingredients are used to help protect your skin, and here are some common ones:

• Pre-and-probiotics help build the skin's natural defences & form a barrier against pollution
• Ganoderma mushroom extract helps reduce inflammation and detoxify the skin
• Buddleja flower and echinacea extracts contain cell resilience boosting proteins
• Vitamin C can lighten and combat dark spots linked to pollution

Here are our anti-pollution skincare picks...

Grown Alchemist Anti-Pollution Primer Prebiotic-Peptide
The Anti-Pollution Primer Prebiotic-Peptide is a lightweight, gel-primer that creates a physical barrier between skin cells to shield the skin.

Grown Alchemist Anti-Pollution Mist Shield
In a convenient mist form, the Grown Alchemist Anti-Pollution Mist Shield helps to visibly smoothen fine lines and wrinkles, while providing instant dermal protection against pollution.

Madara Smart Anti-Pollution Charcoal & Mud Repair Mask
The Madara Smart Anti-Pollution mask is one of the best anti-pollutions face masks out there. It's a double action treatment that gives your skin a pollution and ageing antidote, and helps to neutralise free radical damage.

Antipodes Blessings Anti-Pollution Light Face Serum
The Anti-Pollution Light Face Serum contains potent, antioxidant-rich ingredients that are scientifically shown to inhibit or completely stop the damage to cells caused by free radicals by up to 52% after an hour**.

Madara Anti-Pollution City CC Cream SPF15
A silky, nourishing CC cream, the Anti-Pollution CC Cream offers sun protection AND is scientifically proven*** to protect the skin from environmental stress, pollution and free-radical damage associated with urban and city living.

What's next

Explore our full range of anti-pollution skincare.

Read about our luxe to less skincare swaps.

Find out more about our limited-edition Spring Box.

Sources
* Recognizing the impact of ambient air pollution on skin health

• Environmental Stressors on Skin Aging. Mechanistic Insights
• The impact of airborne pollution on skin
• Ambient ozone pollution as a risk factor for skin disorders

**Trinity Bioactives: In-Vitro investigation into the antioxidant effects of test products at 0.10% by active macrophage cells, after one hour exposure (2018). As stated on the Antipodes website.

***As stated on Madara website