Climate adaptive beauty

Soaring temperatures and poor air quality prompt higher demand for cosmetics that protect the skin from environmental irritants. According to research company Future Market Insights, the anti-pollution ingredients market is worth $870 million and account for almost 5% share of the global cosmetics ingredients market.

Prada debuted its skincare range on August 1, 2023. The Augmented Skin collection uses a unique Adapto.gn Smart Technology that helps the skin adapt to its environment in real time and promote renewal, regeneration, and reinforcement. “It’s about adaptation, which is the new performance,” Yann Andrea, international general manager of Prada Beauty told WWD. The newly developed technology uses 15 rare plants that have existed for over 400 million years and withstood extreme conditions. “They have the power to increase our body’s resistance to any form of aggressions,” Andrea adds.

Addressing the uptick in wildfires and the oxidative stress caused by smoke, US-based beauty brand, Pour Moi launched Smoke Alarm Drops serum in April 2022. "Living in California, my skin has suffered from smoke inflammation,” Ulli Haslacher, founder and CEO of Pour Moi said in a release. “In 2017, I was shocked to learn that SoCal smoke particles travel as far as the East Coast and even Europe. That's when I realized it wasn't just a local problem. Everybody's skin is on the line.” The product is part of a wider Weather-Proof Drops collection tackling environmental irritants linked to climate change for the skin.

The era of global warming has ended, the era of global boiling has arrived.

Antonio Guterres

UN chief

As extreme weather conditions continue to fluctuate, organic beauty brand, Ogee, launched their climate adaptive Velvet Botanical moisturizer last year. The product adjusts to the humidity level in the environment to keep the skin hydrated accordingly and responds to both humid and dry conditions.

Whilst anti-pollution skincare has been around for several years, beauty brands are responding to the changing environmental conditions, with products that are climate adaptive. July 2023 is officially the hottest month on record, ushering a warning by UN chief Antonio Guterres stating, “the era of global warming has ended, the era of global boiling has arrived.” This will surely spur more demand for skincare products that can adapt to a variety of environmental conditions.

Main image courtesy of Pour Moi