Devices, data and formulations to conquer your environment

There is a general recognition, for example, that those who smoke heavily or over-indulge in processed foods or alcohol tend to visibly age more quickly than those who do not. As such, we now accept that our internal condition is often reflected in the external appearance of our skin. In response, many people attempt to control these internal factors by reducing the level of artificial toxins that they put into our bodies, eating more naturally-produced foods and managing the level of fats, carbohydrates and salts in their diets. 

However, the skin is unique among the body’s major organs in that it has both an internal and an external interface. Interestingly, though, public awareness of the external factors that can impact negatively on the condition of the skin is limited at best. While it is true that many of us will reach for the sunscreen to protect ourselves on a sunny day, the majority of skin care consumers fail to take into account the impact of variable external factors such as temperature, humidity, air pollution or even the light produced by the screens of TVs, computers and phones. All of these can impact different people in different ways and, crucially, make a real difference to the effectiveness of skin care formulations. 

Technology providers have been quick to create numerous solutions to help us monitor our fitness and nutritional needs, however, to date, there have been few technological tools available to help us assess and manage the external threats to the skin.