The National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) has been monitoring climate patterns for decades, having recorded a steep increase in global temperatures and weather extremes, particularly in the last decade. The NCEI’s most recent figures show that in June, global surface temperatures were 1.22°C (34.2°F) above the 20th-century average of 15.5°C (59.9°F), marking the 13th consecutive month of record-high global temperatures.
This pushes the planet perilously close to the 1.5°C (34.7°F) threshold for increased temperature, whereby CO2 emissions can no longer be rapidly reduced. NASA has noted that this rise in temperatures is already leading to a higher incidence of weather extremes, including very wet or dry weather conditions, which can lead to drought, flooding, and wildfires, resulting in heightened pollution.
Weather extremes mean a greater need for skin protection
While the potentially catastrophic implications for the environment are hard to ignore, the reality is that increasing weather extremes are also spelling opportunities for skin care brands to help consumers protect their facial skin against this mounting problem.
A number of brands are pioneers in this space, including Pour Moi Skincare, Prada’s Augmented Skin range, and Ogee’s, all of which are designed to help consumers tackle the problem. Although each of these brands has taken quite different approaches to protecting their skin, they can all be said to take a climate-adaptive approach to meeting consumers’ skin care needs.
Pour Moi Skincare claims to be the first climate “smart skin care range” to hit the market. It uses GPS technology to help consumers adapt their routines to the specific conditions they might be facing, considering their geographic location and the season.
Pour Moi Skincare relies on GPS technology to fight the impact of climate change
“Pour Moi’s Climate-Smart approach empowers customers to adapt their skincare routines not only to daily weather conditions but also to protect against temporary climate change stressors, such as wildfire smoke,” said Ulli Haslacher, founder & CEO of Pour Moi Skincare. “This innovative strategy ensures individuals can address the specific environmental challenges they face, promoting healthier, more resilient skin in the precise environment they are in.”
Haslacher noted that consumers’ biggest skin care considerations in the context of climate change include dry skin, stretched-out pores, breakouts caused by excessive humidity, knowing what type of SPF protection to use, and sensitivity and irritation caused by pollution.
Pour Moi is based on the brand’s proprietary Cream Finder software, accessible using a QR code printed on each product’s packaging. The code helps match the consumer’s location and the weather conditions to suggest a three-step skin care system aimed at creating an optimum regimen.
How ingredient companies are helping formulators tackle climate change
On the formulation side, several ingredient players offer climate-fighting solutions that help formulators create skin care products that give consumers added protection and the flexibility to adapt to various weather conditions.
Swiss ingredients player Clariant has responded by building out a portfolio of ingredients that stress environmental protection, including ingredients that help fight pollution and different aspects of UV protection. The sun protection ingredients include Varrier, which contains active properties that regulate the skin’s circadian cycle, preventing disruption from UV exposure.
Croda is also building a portfolio of ingredients that aim to help mitigate the impact of climate change on the skin, a concept it refers to as Geoskincare. In an article posted to the company’s website earlier this year, Croda’s Digital and Communication Coordinator for Beauty Botanicals, Robin Cordier, introduced the concept as a recent but fast-growing trend.
“Geoskincare is one of the main trends our teams identified as shapers of the cosmetic industry in 2024,” Cordier stated in the post. “In today’s changing world, there is no doubt Geoskincare is bound to be adopted as a holistic approach to skin care and as a main element of choice for beauty routines during many following years.”
