Are These Everyday Pollutants Damaging Your Skin?
If the harmful effects of air pollution have you running indoors and shutting the windows, you may want to think twice: the air inside your home can be up to five times more polluted than the air outside. The effects of pollution on the skin are compounded when outside air is trapped indoors. Since your skin cells are deprived of oxygen, free radicals start to form, and in turn, can trigger fine lines, inflammation and sensitivity. What is more, lingering chemicals and microscopic dust-mites can make pollutants tricky to spot and difficult to avoid. Here are the top three offenders and our tips for minimizing their effects.
Toxic Cleaning Supplies
According to The David Suzuki Foundation, “Most of us are exposed to cleaning products and their residues at low levels on a daily basis.” Many household cleaning products contain chemical ingredients that linger in the air and settle on our skin after use. As Jeannette Graf MD tells Marie Claire: “The skin’s barrier contains protective bacteria, as well as cells that play a role in our immune system.” The detergents and solvents in cleaning products can disrupt that barrier, making the skin more vulnerable to the dulling, drying and aging effects of pollution.
To protect your skin’s health, we recommend swapping your chemical cleaners for eco-friendly varieties and reinforcing your skin’s protective barrier with the help of our Marine Flower Peptide Night Cream. This hydrating cream seals in moisture and protects the skin from drying environmental stressors while you sleep.
Hidden Chemicals
Processed foods, synthetic fabrics and non-organic beauty products can contain chemical compounds that are damaging to your skin’s protective barrier. Over time, exposure to certain chemicals can leave your complexion looking dull, drab and lifeless. To steer clear of hidden chemicals, Environmental Working Group recommends swapping processed foods for organic, buying clothes with natural fibers like cotton and wool and avoiding beauty products that contain toxic ingredients.
Eminence products are formulated without the use of harmful chemicals like parabens, petrolatum, mineral oils, propylene glycol or sodium lauryl sulfate. We recommend using our Stone Crop Cleansing Oil as an alternative to harsh facial cleansers with chemical additives. This gentle, non-greasy oil is infused with supercharged microgreens to protect the skin against the effects of environmental stressors.
Product Picks
Accumulated Pollution
Even if you clean regularly, microscopic dust-mites can lurk in your bed, carpets and upholstery. These tiny critters can irritate your skin, aggravating sensitive and problem areas. Accumulated dust is a component of particulate matter - airborne particles that easily penetrate the skin. Julia Carroll MD tells Best Health Magazine: “These small particles bounce around the skin causing repeated damage: They disrupt the skin’s barrier, and damage elastin and collagen, which speeds up signs of aging including wrinkles.”
Vogue recommends showering before bed to cleanse your skin of dust that has accumulated on its surface throughout the day. Remove impurities with our Stone Crop Oxygenating Fizzofoliant™. With its light fizzing action, this powder-to-foam exfoliant delivers oxygen to the skin’s surface and reveals a brighter, more youthful looking complexion.
Which product from our Microgreens Detox Collection are you most excited to try? Tell us in the comments below.
This article was originally published in March 2017.