A growing trend for skin protection in cosmetics

 Sun protection still dominates the sales of protection products. Sales of sun protection continue to increase, as more and more consumers heed the medical advice about protecting their skin from sun damage, which could lead to skin cancer. However, the number of cosmetic products claiming protection against harsh elements, pollution, smoke and urban and seasonal damage has also been increasing. Since 2008 there have been well over 5,000 products that claim this type of protection. The customers buying these products often feel they have sensitive and reactive skin. As would be expected, sales of products claiming to give protection from pollution are bought mostly by people living in large polluted cities. Consumers, who understand how skin damage generally relates to ageing, are also keen to use products that claim to protect. Global brands such as Clarins, Clinique and Lancôme are following this trend and have products that focus on aspects of protection from hostile environments.

Skin is our shield

Surprising as it may seem, skin, which protects us from the ravages of the outside world, needs itself to be protected. In our endeavors to keep our skin looking youthful and blemish-free, it is easy to forget that skin is a complex dynamic tissue that has evolved over millennia to be our shield against physical, biological and chemical damage. Skin protects us from knocks, scratches and from attack by pathogens or corrosive chemicals. Skin’s inflammatory response is there to fight infection. Skin is our living barrier, which prevents excess water loss and extreme temperature changes. In sunlight, melanocytes, in the base layer of the epidermis, produce proportionally more UV absorbing melanin to counteract damaging UV radiation and the subsequent free radical damage. Interestingly, in order to function, the delicate interior of each individual living cell, regardless of its tissue type or where it is in our bodies, must be more ‘reducing’ in contrast with its immediate surroundings. We live in a world which is oxidising. Where iron for example, readily rusts and unprotected unsaturated oils quickly turn rancid. Resisting oxidation and maintaining the intra/inter cellular oxidation balance is essential to life and a whole army of biochemical pathways involving molecules such as glutathione, catalase and super oxide dismutase (SOD) are needed to protect us. Melanin is therefore just one foot soldier in this army of pathways protecting us from harm due to free radicals and UV radiation.