You religiously cleanse, tone and moisturize. You regularly exfoliate, apply face packs and face scrubs. You drink plenty of water, you have lots of early nights and you watch your diet. And no matter what time it is, you NEVER go to bed with your makeup on. In short, you take your beauty regime very seriously.

But have you ever stopped to think about how the air around you could be affecting your skin? For years we have talked about the damaging effects of pollution on our health. We know heavily polluted air can lead to all sorts of health problems, from increasing your asthma and allergy symptoms, to causing heart attacks and strokes. The emphasis has always been on how breathing polluted air affects our health. But more recently, scientists have been looking at how pollution can be absorbed into our bodies, through our skin. This new research shows that pollution has a profound effect on our skin, causing dryness, irritation, puffiness, age spots, wrinkles, acne and premature skin aging.

In light of these new findings, many of the big beauty brands have developed products to help create a barrier on the skin, great to use when you are out and about. However, as we spend 90% of our time indoors, it is crucial the indoor air is pollution free too, particularly at night when we are sleeping. Investing in an air cleaner and running it in your bedroom at night, will maximize your skin’s ability to regenerate and recover from the stresses of the day. Sleeping in a pollution free environment will also help to improve the quality of your sleep. You’ll wake up feeling refreshed, alert and ready for the day.