Urban pollution protection for beautiful, balanced skin

High Energy Visible (HEV) light including blue light is another type of ‘pollution’ affecting among others our skin. Our appearance is the first to be affected, with early signs of ageing, wrinkles, pigmentation spots, disrupted barrier, overall dryness and skin imperfections all associated with polluted environments. 

IBR-UrBioTect, an extract of Inula helenium, may help repair and reverse the effects of pollution, according to results of a clinical study in a smoking environment (cigarette smoke). In this study, reduction of early signs of ageing in a smoking environment has been achieved using a formula containing 1% IBR-UrBioTect. The extract has also been shown to chelate and neutralise pollutants such as heavy metals which cause accumulated damage to the skin, as efficiently protect skin cells from HEV induced ROS production. We propose here a natural and innovative solution to relieve and repair the effects of pollution on the skin and the appearance of early signs of aging in a polluted environment, promoting a lighter skin tone as well as reducing wrinkle count, and improving skin elasticity and barrier function.

Environmental pollutants including heavy metals and other toxic compounds such as PAHs and aldehydes are increasingly abundant in our urbanised and industrialised environments. One of the emerging environmental pollutants of concern in recent years is blue light. Blue light or high-energy visible light (HEV) refers to wavelengths between 390 and 500 nm. It is emitted from a large number of artificial light sources, such as blue LED, and from direct sunlight. Pollutants are known to have detrimental effects on our skin and body and lead to various illnesses such as respiratory diseases, headaches, asthma, skin rashes and more. However, the initial effects on our appearance are early signs of ageing including: wrinkles, pigmentation spots, disrupted barrier, overall dryness and skin imperfections.