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Skincare brand Bigelius on how the growing issue with air pollution affects our skin
”We are the only brand in the world who have anti-pollution ingredients in all our products,” founder and CEO Henrik Bigelius tells.
By JOHAN MAGNUSSON
13 Jan 2022

While working as a management consultant and a trade promoter at Business Sweden in Beijing, Bigelius came up with the idea to launch an anti-pollution skincare brand.

— We’re a Scandinavian unisex skincare concept, developed and produced in Sweden, and the world’s only brand having anti-pollution ingredients in all products. After all, less is more, so our range is limited and includes effective multipurpose products — cleanser, toner, two facial creams, eye cream, and a face mist — that are easy to use and understand. Soon, in Q2, we’re launching five new products, including an anti-age serum, sheet masks, under-eye patch, hand soap, and hand cream.

You mentioned the anti-pollution properties. How does pollution affect the skin?

— Pollution and dirt in the air don’t just sit on the surface of your skin — it penetrates deep into your pores and causes blemishes, breakouts, and premature ageing. Pollutants generate free radicals on the surface of the skin which leads to increased sensitivity and stress for the skin. When the level of free radicals exceeds our skin’s defense mechanisms, the skin cells are placed in a state of oxidative stress. This state triggers skin sensitivity, which leads to a whole host of issues such as pigmentation, premature ageing, and a dull, sallow complexion.

And how big is the pollution problem in Scandinavia and Europe?

— Air pollution is unfortunately a growing problem worldwide and the big fires that we’ve seen around the world is not helping. People living in Scandinavia and Europe are privileged with a general good air quality but even here in bigger cities the levels are at a toxic level. In fact, some cities in Europe are now so cloaked in pollution that residents are being advised to keep their windows closed. In Scandinavia, we can still have our windows open but even here your skin is affected by carbon particles from traffic as well as domestic emissions from chemicals which is damaging for your skin. 

How can skincare products help the skin handle pollution?

— Since it seems pollution is not going away in the foreseeable future, we have chosen to include the patented ingredient Pollustop in our products. Created to form a film on the skins surface, it’s an anionic polysaccharide of high molecular weight, obtained by biotechnology. It increases the skin’s protection by creating a breathing shield, stopping the penetration of pollutants and reducing the induced damages. Thanks to its matrix-forming property, Pollustop creates a barrier to the three types of pollution stresses: atmospheric (carbon particles, particulate matter, and heavy metals), UV, and domestic (chemicals). This barrier limits the skin’s extracellular and intracellular induced damages, including oxidative stress, inflammation, cellular, and mitochondrial toxicity.