In a podcast for the firm, the research analyst explained the origins and direction of the protection trend, stating that she believes it is definitely here to stay.
“The anti pollution trend started in Asia Pacific some years ago is now becoming a major market need. Pollution is affecting cities around the world,” she explains, noting that it is driven by consumer demand.
“It’s just common sense to think that pollution can damage our bodies, just as UV does,” she says, noting that consumers are looking for products that clean, protect and repair their natural skin barrier.
“Long time exposure to high levels of pollutants can weaken the natural defenses of the skin,” Coronado states. “Ingredients suppliers and cosmetics manufacturers have cleverly captured this market trend, and there is an increasing number of ingredients and products reaching the market that tackle pollution.”
East and West
Consumer needs around the world are driving demand for these products, Coronado notes, and opportunities for antipollution ingredients and differ between the East and the West.
“For instance, in China, with the highest pollution levels in the world, growing health concerns is driving the trend.
Chinese consumers are increasingly concerned about pollution’s connection to skin condition and hair loss,” she explains.
“Western consumers, less affected by pollution and very influenced by the K-beauty trend, are more worried about premature skin ageing.”
What’s ahead?
"There’s no doubt that the trend’s here to stay, because solving the pollution problem is not easy,” says Coronado, but she notes that the industry needs to overcome two main barriers before the trend can reach its full potential.
“There are still a lot of unknowns about how pollutants damage the skin and the hair, and this is something that ingredients manufacturers need to address with research,” she says.
“The mechanism by which pollutants dam the skin may depend on the specific pollutant, climate conditions, skin type, skin conditions, population ageing and even ethnicity.” Once tackled, Coronado notes, this will open up great opportunities for customisation to target multicultural consumers around the world."
The second barrier is the lack of standardized anti-pollution test, the expert asserts.
“There is a need to develop a reliable international standard test, similar to those used for the UV proof, able to provide enough scientific evidence to back up the claims.”
She concludes by noting that, if these hurdles can be overcome, anti-pollution ingredients pose an exciting opportunity for the industry.