It turns out you need more than a sunhat or basic moisturizer to protect your skin from damaging environmental factors.
Most of us blame our wrinkles, dryness, sagging, and crepiness on too many summers spent lounging around the pool. And while sun exposure is the primary cause of premature skin aging, there are several other environmental factors that can add years to your face. Pour Moi’s Climate-Smart system has created an entirely new skincare strategy to address these environmental conditions. The products are formulated based on your climate, as opposed to your skin type (dry, oily, or combination), and this novel approach to anti-aging ensures skin stays hydrated, healthy, and protected all year round. Here, the four environmental factors (beyond the sun) that can accelerate the aging process – and how to avoid them.
1. Lack of Humidity
Humidity infuses your skin with hydration, keeping it glowing, smooth, and young-looking. Dry conditions have the opposite effect. A review of studies published in the Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venerology found that low humidity increases skin aging in two important ways. In one of the studies, researchers measured the water content in the cheeks and forearms of study participants after the subjects spent three hours or six hours in low humidity conditions. After both the three and six hours increments, water content in the skin decreased, and the skin was significantly rougher. In another study, researchers measured wrinkles and skin elasticity in the eyelids of 20 study subjects after 30 minutes in a room with high humidity and 30 minutes in a room with low humidity. The researchers noted dramatic decreases in moisture and elasticity (and more wrinkles and uneven skin texture) after the half hour in low humidity. Shifts in humidity can disrupt the skin’s microbiome, throwing off important bacteria, and resulting in skin roughness, wrinkling and uneven texture. A simple moisturizer won’t be able to counteract this imbalance on an ongoing basis. Skin needs a more targeted treatment to keep bacteria in check and help it adjust to extreme weather patterns. Pour Moi’s Weather-Proof Rain Drops™ provide skin with a concentrated dose of ingredients that specifically target fluctuations in humidity. The Rain Drops contain WeatherHydraMoss™ technology, which is a mix of Geo-hydraDynamic Complex™ (which helps skin adjust to changes in humidity) and MossCellTec™, which rejuvenates the cell nucleus, improves skin barrier function, and instantly increases hydration. What’s more, it has a probiotic-spiked type of yeast called Relipidium™, that beefs up the skin’s lipid barrier, and rebalances bacteria in the skin wall that’s involved in keeping skin hydrated. In one study, Relipidium™ was applied to the skin of 20 women, between the ages of 18 and 45, who had dry skin. After two weeks of applying 2% Relipidium™, skin hydration improved by 12%. To use the Rain Drops, apply one (in mild conditions) to three drops (more extreme dry weather) directly onto your face – or mix them into your daily moisturizing cream – before heading out into arid conditions.
2. Vitamin D Deficiency
The sun is tricky: Too much of it can cause photodamage (and, more importantly, cancer), but too little can deprive the body of much needed Vitamin D. Vitamin D is vital for not just our overall health, but our skin health too. It’s associated with cell growth, cell metabolism, and cell repair—which means skimping on D can result in inflammation and irritation. Since applying Vitamin D topically doesn’t seem to work very effectively, simply having the vitamin in your skincare products won’t really move the needle. Instead, you need a micro-targeted treatment that can counteract a negative effect of climate change (like too little sunshine) on skin’s appearance. Pour Moi’s Weather-Proof Sunlight Drops™ is a topical skin booster that can transform your moisturizing cream into a customized treatment weapon. In addition to the WeatherHydraMoss™ technology (mentioned above in the Rain Drops™) that combines Geo-hydraDynamic Complex™ and MossCellTec™, it also contains a vitamin D-like ingredient derived from chicory root extract that research indicates mimics the effects of vitamin D on the skin (fighting the appearance of dry, aging skin). Apply one to three drops directly onto your face, or mix it into your daily moisturizer. One drop works for mild, white-looking overcast days, two drops for gray days, and a max of three drops for more severe dark days (think thunderstorms).
3. Polar-Coaster Climate
Your skin likes temperate weather. In these perfect climate conditions, it doesn’t have to struggle to hold onto every last drop of moisture, scramble to cool you off, or work quite as hard to fight off pollutants (more on those later). But in this age of global warming, temperate weather isn’t quite as common, and we’re experiencing more and more schizophrenic seasons that fluctuate between chilly and balmy. These extreme temps confuse—and damage—our skin. In polar-coaster weather, adding a face mask to your skincare routine won’t level-up your moisture as much as you’d think - unless your mask contains key ingredients specifically sourced to nurture skin in harsh, fluctuating conditions. Pour Moi’s Climate-Smart Polar Moisture-Burst Mask was created to mirror healthy skin’s biochemistry in a polar climate, addressing both arid conditions and temperature changes. Basically, it has the ability to protect against any sudden weather changes and help your skin acclimate to the changing weather. The cream-clay Polar Moisture-Burst Mask combines Geo-hydraDynamic™ with Norwegian Evergreen Spruce Extract, which helps skin adjust between cold, dry conditions and warmer, more humid weather. To use, apply an even layer all over your face, avoiding eyes, lips and eyebrows. Leave it on for 10-15 minutes, then use a warm, wet towel to wipe it off.
4. Pollution
As a culture, we’re making an effort to reduce our carbon footprints by recycling, riding our bikes to work, and screwing in LED light bulbs (good!), but there’s still a lot of gunk swarming around in the air. A research review published in the Journal of Dermatological Science shows that exposure to traffic is linked to skin aging; air pollution contributes to brown spots; and ground levels of ozone are associated with wrinkles. Ozone, which is more problematic in hot weather, messes with the skin’s protective lipid (fat) barrier, and we need that layer of fat to prevent dangerous stuff from getting into our skin. Fight pollution-related damage with skin care ingredients that keep the lipid barrier strong and healthy like glycerin, which is found in all of the Day Creams, as well as in the Night Cream and White Serum. Also look for antioxidants that fight free radicals like tocopherol (a form of Vitamin E found in all the Day Creams, Night Cream, White Serum, and Black Serum), ascorbyl palmitate (a source of Vitamin C which is in all the Day Creams); and ergothioneine (a mushroom antioxidant found in the Serums). At the end of the day, the best thing you can do for your skin is to shield it from the harsh environmental factors that can cause skin-aging. Doing that means using the right targeted treatments that have the concentrated ingredients needed to fight off climate’s changing aggressors. Pour Moi’s arsenal of products gives your skin the defense protection it needs, no matter what the weather throws your way.