Mary Kay Inc., a global beauty company and leader in skin care innovation, continues its ongoing support of the beauty and scientific communities by participating in two major global conferences in Europe this month: the 24th World Congress of Dermatology (WCD), June 10–15 in Milan, Italy and the 5th Future of Formulations in Cosmetics Summit, June 19-20, in Dusseldorf, Germany.
Held every four years, the World Congress of Dermatology is the largest dermatology meeting in the world. The WCD’s 2019 theme, “A New Era for Global Dermatology,” was the perfect match for Mary Kay to present its applied science findings and continue the scientific conversation around pollution and skin damage. On June 12, Mary Kay will host a symposium at the event titled “Environmental Stressors and Skin: Beyond UV.”
The symposium will explore the impact of external environmental aggressors on skin health, with a focus on Europe and how antioxidants can help reduce the damaging effects of pollution. Moderated by Michelle Hines, Ph.D., Director, Global Upstream Research & Technology at Mary Kay, the symposium will feature two renowned European skin experts:
- Jean Krutmann, M.D., Professor & Director at Leibniz Research Institute for Environmental Medicine – Dusseldorf, Germany.
- Stefanie Williams, M.D., Dermatologist & Medical Director at EUDELO – London, United Kingdom.
The extent of air pollution’s impact on skin and overall health was recently revealed in a new comprehensive global review by the Forum of International Respiratory Societies’ Environmental Committee, that reported air pollution may potentially affect every organ in the human body.* The report is especially relevant to the European region, as many European cities have been found to exceed air pollution limits set by the World Health Organization (WHO) or the European Environment Agency (
In fact, more than 40 towns and cities in the UK alone exceed WHO air pollution limits** and the EEA named 15 cities that are worst affected by dust particle, nitrogen dioxide and sulfur dioxide pollution*** in Germany. Excessive levels of pollution have adverse impact on overall health and are also detrimental to skin health, texture and appearance.
A pioneer of environmental medicine, Professor Krutmann has been relentlessly working in the field of skin protection. “Since I discovered in 2010 that air pollution causes skin aging and skin pigmentation, my institute has conducted a lot of research to verify this observation and to unravel the underlying mechanisms. From these studies it is now clear that long term exposure to traffic-related particulate matter (PM) is not only dangerous for our lungs and cardiovascular system, but skin health is compromised as well,” stated Jean Krutmann, M.D.
Stefanie Williams, M.D., further explained: “We might not be able to separate the damage caused to the skin by UV exposure from those caused by air pollution clinically; however, given the major research advances made in skin and air pollution science, my expectation is that the adverse effects of pollution on skin health will continue to have a growing impact in the future in high-density cities,” explained Dr. Williams.
During Mary Kay’s presentation at the 5th Future of Formulations in Cosmetics Summit, Michelle Hines, Ph. D. will reveal Mary Kay’s latest research on an antioxidant complex that helps delay the onset of premature signs of skin aging related to the damaging effects of diesel exhaust particles (DEP). The breakthrough technology, found in the Mary Kay® TimeWise® Miracle Set 3D™ skin care line, provides a powerful free-radical fighting regimen with an exclusive, patent-pending, three-dimensional approach to skin aging.
“Experts have confirmed the significant negative impact of air pollution on skin and this impact will continue to grow as environmental stressors, such as DEP, and pollution levels increase, especially in densely populated urban areas,” Dr. Hines noted. “Mary Kay has discovered targeted technologies that help delay the onset of premature skin aging from unavoidable environmental and lifestyle stressors. Simultaneously, Mary Kay has been advancing scientific discussions with renowned experts around the globe to drive awareness on the negative impact of pollution on skin.”
As one of the world’s leading cosmetics and skincare industry innovators, Mary Kay’s participation in the 24th World Congress of Dermatology and the 5th Future of Formulations in Cosmetics Summit, are the latest installments in a series of global partnerships with the scientific and academic international communities.
Further demonstrating its long-lasting commitment to funding and contributing to skin health research, Mary Kay has also presented research on the topic of skin and pollution in North America at the International Investigative Dermatology meeting in May 2018, in Orlando, Florida, and in Latin America at the Reunion Anual de Dermatologos Latinoamericanos, in May 2019, in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Every year, Mary Kay invests millions of dollars in research and development, and conducts hundreds of thousands of scientific tests on products and ingredients to ensure the highest standards of safety, quality and performance. Mary Kay holds more than 1,500 patents for products, technologies and packaging designs in its global portfolio.
*Review by the Forum of International Respiratory Societies’ Environmental Committee, Part 1: The Damaging Effects of Air Pollution (February 2019)
** WHO Global Ambient Air Quality Database (update 2018)
***Report by Bundesministerium für Umwelt,
