From urban smog to tight work deadlines, outer and inner stressors are synonymous with modern life. While we’re churning and burning in an effort to keep up, maximize time and succeed, we create environments that are detrimental to our skin.
90% of the global population breathes polluted air – we’re looking at you, city-dwellers – but it doesn’t stop there. Between dust, cleaning chemicals and a lack of ventilation, indoor air can actually be up to 5x more polluted than the air outside. We know the impact these factors can have on our internal organs, creating temporary or permanent damage that affect our ability to function. But, what about our skin, the body’s largest organ? When it comes to pollution, our skin doesn’t escape unscathed.
The Body’s Stress Response
Because we’re no longer a society that’s hunting and gathering and running away from external physical threats, the stress triggers we’re more likely to encounter on a daily basis are things like sitting in traffic, board meetings, homework and late package deliveries. Though seemingly less annoying, our bodies endure these situations 90+ times each day. That’s 90x/day that our body’s oil production kicks into overdrive, often with no outlet (we can’t always leave a meeting to go sweat out the stress).
Some Examples of Daily Skin Stressors
High-fat diet | Cleaning chemicals | Lack of sleep |
Sitting in traffic | Pollen | Dust |
Indoor AC/heating units | Windblown debris | Unprotected UVA + UVB |
Second-hand smoke | Auto exhaust | Exposure |
Nail salons | Buying a house | Running late |
Pet dander | Smog | Hormones |
Mold | Coffee | Divorce |
Dry climates | Alcohol |
The Science Behind Our Skin’s Microbiome
Every time our body encounters external or internal stressors, our microbiome gets thrown off balance, which lessens the probiotics’ ability to fight off infection and disease. Repeated stress makes it harder for skin to bounce back (just like when an immune system is less able to fight off the common cold) and results in a chronically stressed-out looking complexion. There are warning signs however, 5 main signals of stressed skin that are more telling than the occasional pimple:
- Patchy Dryness - Ex. eczema, psoriasis and dandruff
- Inflammation - Ex. skin itchiness and increased sensitivity
- Irritation/Redness - Ex. rosacea, hives and rashes
- Acne – Ex. beyond-hormonal breakouts and excessively oily skin
- Premature Wrinkling – Ex. lines that form “overnight”
The Solution
When we don’t have time for lengthy meditation sessions, morning yoga or the ability to go off the grid in the name of stress reduction, skin needs a leg up in order to keep up with our overscheduled lives.
We've created The ZenBubble Gel Cream.
Lightweight, multi-purpose gel cream with new Double Bubble technology that wraps skin in stress-relieving marine extracts and topical superfoods to help reduce the visible effects of stress: redness, breakouts, accelerated wrinkling, excessive dryness and enlarged pores.