Abstract

Air pollution continues to be a global health concern and recent studies have shown that air pollutants can cause skin damage and skin aging through several pathways that induce oxidative stress, inflammation, apoptosis, and skin barrier dysfunction. Preventive measures need to be considered to retain optimal skin health, and topical skincare products may be able to alleviate the negative effects of air pollution on skin. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical usage study was conducted to assess the efficacy and tolerability of a novel two-part skincare system (LVS) that was developed to provide protection against environmental skin aggressors including air pollution. After 8 weeks of use in subjects exposed to extremely high levels of pollution, LVS provided significant improvements compared to placebo in all clinical efficacy parameters including crow’s feet wrinkles, overall skin damage, skin tone evenness, tactile roughness, and visible redness. Subject self-assessment questionnaires showed that the treatment product was highly rated in self-perceived efficacy. Decreased SQOOH and MDA content in skin swab samples suggest that LVS helped to reduce oxidative stress in patients’ skin. Histological analyses of biopsy samples using biomarkers related to skin structure, damage and function (collagen IV, MMP1, CPD, and CD1a) further support the clinical benefits of LVS. Altogether, the presented study is among the first to show that topical skincare products can help to reduce pollution-induced skin damage and improve skin quality, especially when specifically formulated with active ingredients that combat the harmful effects of air pollutants.