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Pollution and other irritating chemicals wreck havoc on your skin.
TL;DR – Your skin and pollution
● Your skin barrier is the outermost layer of your skin
● It’s all that stands between you and the outside world
● Pollution wrecks havoc on the youthful appearance of skin
● Support and defend your barrier with Eighteen B Firm + Replenish Serum
● Packed with NMF and lipids to replenish and scaffold your skin barrier
● Clinically tested to significantly improve pollution wash off
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Let’s talk frankly about the skin barrier and why you need to defend it. We’ve talked about the anatomy and function (link here to “what is the skin barrier” blog post) of the skin barrier but you are probably wondering, “So what? Why should I care”. The short answer is pollution. Pollution and other irritating chemicals wreck havoc on your skin. Read on to learn more about pollution and how you can defend your skin.
What is pollution and where does it come from?
More and more, scientific studies are uncovering the detrimental effects of certain pollution chemicals on your skin. These pollutants can come from both the environment and from in the home. These chemicals include:
● Emissions (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon, nitrogen dioxide)
● Pesticides
● Plasticizers (phthalates and bisphenol A)
Let’s take a moment and better understand each of these chemicals and the impact they have on skin.
Emissions
Emissions come from things like vehicle and factory exhaust as well as wildfire smoke. Emissions contain a myriad of chemicals, but the ones that are under scrutiny are nitrogen dioxide, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and small particulate matter of around 10 um or less in diameter. These chemicals have been shown to cause formation of free radicals, DNA damage and cell death in the skin. Not to mention that they have been linked to infertility, asthma and even some skin cancers.
Pesticides
Pesticides are a key component of the agricultural industry and we are appreciative beneficiaries of the resulting delicious produce and other food. We all know we need to wash our produce to remove any residual pesticides, but if you live near an agricultural area, pesticides are floating in the air and can come into contact with your skin. Studies show just as much pesticides can enter the body through inhalation as it can through skin absorption. Moreover, pesticides have been linked to dermatitis, acne and melanoma.
Plasticizers
Plasticizers are added to plastic materials to make them more flexible and stretchy. Two chemicals under scrutiny are Phalates and Bisphenol A. You can come into contact with Phalates via things like vinyl material in mattress covers and shower curtains. Phthalates are also common ingredients in fragrances. Bisphenol A can come into contact with skin in things like plastic toys and thermal paper used in shop receipts. These chemicals are known hormone-disrupting compounds and reproductive toxins.
How you can support and defend your skin
Maybe 100 years ago, your natural skin’s barrier was enough to defend our skin, but in today’s age with the amount of pollution we are surrounded by both in our homes and outside, our skin needs help. A skin care regimen that includes antioxidants is great, as they help to reduce free radicals in your skin caused by toxic chemicals. But why not physically defend against them? Enter in the Firm + Replenish Serum, packed with NMF and lipids to replenish and fortify your natural skin barrier. It also contains our b-silk protein, which physically defends against stealthy environmental aggressors. In a clinical study, B-silk protein significantly improved pollution wash off compared to the vehicle control.
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