How Should You Protect Your Skin Against Pollution and Wildfires?

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Wildfire smoke is one of many contaminants our skin can't filter out. Here's how to fight its effects.

Since 2020, there have been more than 183,000 wildfires on U.S. soil. In total, they’ve burned more than 20 million acres of federal, private and tribal land. That’s bad news for our planet — and also its inhabitants.

Wildfires displace both humans and animals, consuming entire neighborhoods and clearing diverse ecosystems. According to new research, they could also cause a surge in skin disease. The first-of-its-kind joint study conducted by researchers at UC San Francisco and UC Berkeley determined that wildfire smoke, like car exhaust and industry offput, can penetrate the skin, our body's foremost defense system. Even worse, this isn’t just the case for those with eczema or rosacea. In fact, 89 percent of patients studied had no skin issues whatsoever.

While smoke and the toxins hidden within it are the most concentrated in evacuation zones, the exposure areas can stretch considerably further. As wildfires become more common due to climate change, reports of smoke reaching the other side of the country are no longer rare. Thousands of miles from the red-hot flames, smoke descends on cities as far east as New York and Philadelphia, which are located in states with historically low wildfire risk.

To reduce exposure, people should limit outdoor activity when the AQI (Air Quality Index) is higher than 100. Anti-pollution skincare products — an emerging category that includes creams, mists and more — may also help protect those exposed to unhealthy air by strengthening your body's first line of defense against airborne pollutants.

Created by a practicing dermatologist, Dr. Loretta Ciraldo, Dr. Loretta’s Urban Antioxidant Sunscreen helps protect against UV rays and environmental toxins with a molecule called Lipochroman, which captures and eliminates free radicals, Dr. Ciraldo claims.

The benefits are twofold with Codex Labs’ Antü Skin Barrier Moisturizer: it brightens and tones while protecting against environmental aggressors by using hyaluronic acid to strengthen your skin’s barrier, the brand says.

Two spritzes of Grown Alchemist’s potent mist will protect you from external threats, the brand says, using cell resiliency boosting actives and free radical-fighting antioxidants, like Buddleja flower and echinacea extract, which contain proteins and peptides that both protect and repair.

A good cleanser should clean while keeping the skin’s natural barrier intact. Even better, this Jaxon Lane face wash works to boost your barrier with a hyaluronic acid infusion, which the brand claims helps strengthen your skin’s own defense system.

Use a couple of pumps of Dr. Levy’s Pollution Shield 5PF to help protect your skin against pollutants like urban dust and microscopic particles, indoor volatile chemicals, atmospheric gases, infrared rays and blue light. Dr. Levy’s skincare also revitalizes dermal stem cells to create collagen for strong, firmer skin.

Did you know staring at a screen for several hours a day can exhaust your skin? Dr. Barbara Sturm does. The Anti-Pollution Drops use extracts from French Polynesian microorganisms and an active ingredient found in cocoa seeds to combat aging caused by screens.

Composed of Ferulic acid and probiotics, Pixi’s Vitamin-C Juice Cleanser protects the skin from damage caused by external pollutants. Essentially, it’s an aqueous no-rinse face cleanser with vitamin C that removes impurities from your skin’s top layer while lightening the appearance of dark spots.

Made with vitamin C and ferulic acid, Acure’s Brightening Vitamin C and Ferulic Acid Serum is an oil-free serum that uses pineapple extract and matcha tea to revitalize dull skin. It also has papaya extract, which helps fight free radical damage and exfoliates the skin.

This facial lotion from Andalou Naturals is a mineral sunscreen defending against UVA/UVB and blue light to keep your skin protected, nourished and looking healthy. It also uses Hyaluronic Acid and Ecotin to hydrate your skin and mitigate signs of blue light effects.

Verso’s Anti Pollution Protecting and Strengthening Mist helps boost the body’s natural detoxifying abilities and forms a barrier layer against environmental damage, the brand states. It also helps to prevent the causes of fine lines and wrinkles and restore your skin’s optimal pH balance.

A version of this story first appeared in Gear Patrol Magazine. Subscribe today