Where should you live to enjoy healthy skin without having to go through the skincare and makeup boxes? This is the question answered by the Clarins brand, which assessed the impact of air quality, UV rays, and temperature on the skin in the United States. Verdict? No question of settling under the Californian sun, Maine has the best environmental conditions for perfectly healthy skin.
Although it is essential to follow a beauty routine adapted to your skin type, this is not always enough to enjoy smooth and luminous skin, without imperfections and other problems linked to external conditions and the passage of time. An observation which may be due to genetics, but not only… Environmental conditions – pollution, temperature, humidity, ultraviolet radiation – also play an essential role. A subject on which the Clarins brand recently worked, which managed to identify the American state which offers the best – and the worst – conditions for benefiting – or not – from healthy skin all year round.
Maine, ideal for skin health
For the purposes of this study, the cosmetics brand relied on existing data* concerning various environmental factors in almost all American states, with the exception of Hawaii and Alaska, namely the quality air, fine particles, UV rays, temperature, or even humidity. After analyzing this data, Maine, located in the far northeast of the United States, was identified as the state most conducive to good skin health with a score of 5.8 out of 50 (more the lower the score, the more beneficial the environmental conditions are for the skin). A total score that we owe to low ultraviolet radiation, but also to good air quality and low levels of pollution. So many factors that prove beneficial for long-term skin health.
In the rest of the general ranking, Vermont and New Hampshire, both also located in the northeast of the country, take second and third place respectively, with good scores in terms of pollution levels, exposure to the sun, and UV radiation. This is followed by Montana, New York, Minnesota, Massachusetts, South Dakota, Connecticut and North Dakota. Note, however, that in the latter state, air quality and humidity levels do not obtain good scores (41st and 31st, respectively).
“Interestingly, the majority of the ten healthiest states for skin health are in the Northeast, although much of this region has been choked by dense smoke from Canadian wildfires l last summer, leading to New York City's worst air quality since the 1960s“, observe the authors of the study.
No Californian dream
Conversely, Georgia, much further south, appears to be the state where the environmental conditions are the worst for healthy skin. All with an execrable score of 41.8 out of 50. Heavy traffic, like the heat, could be responsible for this poor result, since the State accumulates poor marks in terms of air quality, exposure to fine particles, ultraviolet radiation, exposure to the sun, temperature, and even humidity. More surprisingly, California, although often considered ideal in terms of lifestyle and beauty, is placed penultimate in this ranking with a score of 37.2 out of 50. Followed by Arizona, Alabama, Texas , Mississippi, Florida, and even South Carolina. States that are best avoided if you want to enjoy healthy, glowing skin.
To combat the effects of certain external factors, such as pollution, UV radiation, or even poor air quality, the cosmetics brand recalls the need to follow an optimal beauty routine. This obviously involves cleansing your face morning and evening, moisturizing it to strengthen the skin barrier with products formulated to fight against pollution, always removing makeup before sleeping, and, most importantly, using skincare products that help protect the skin against sun damage.
*Data comes from the most recent environmental reports for each US state, except for Hawaii and Alaska which were not included due to lack of data. The parameters of UV rays, air quality, pollution, humidity and average temperature were selected for analysis based on their specific impact on skin health.
