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Patent Insights: Anti-pollution Skin- and Haircare
2026-01-23T14:00:38+00:00
REP7919A60C_FC51_4C53_99A6_0CFC517C53C1
2195
190611
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Report
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Recent patents protect skin and hair from pollution by strengthening barriers, creating physical shields and balancing the microbiome. Neha Srivastava, Senior Patent Analyst - Food & Drink and Beauty &…
Global
Haircare and Styling
Skincare
simple

Patent Insights: Anti-pollution Skin- and Haircare

Recent patents protect skin and hair from pollution by strengthening barriers, creating physical shields and balancing the microbiome.

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    • What you need to know
  1. WHAT CONSUMERS WANT AND WHY

    • Consumers prioritise skin barrier strength and link pollution to skin and hair concerns
  2. PRODUCT INNOVATION TRENDS

    • The UK, Germany and France lead in facial skincare and haircare launches featuring protects-against-elements claims
    • Graph 1: % of face cleanser and face/neck care launches with protects-against-elements claims, by market, 2020-25
    • Graph 2: % of haircare launches with protects-against-elements claims, by market, 2020-25
    • Facial skincare and haircare launches with advanced anti-pollution benefits
  3. THE PATENT LANDSCAPE

    • Anti-pollution skincare and haircare patent publications peaked in 2022 before declining
    • Graph 3: patents related to anti-pollution skincare and haircare compositions and ingredients, published each year, 2015-25
    • South Korea leads in anti-pollution skincare and haircare patent grants
    • Amorepacific Corp emerges as a top innovator in anti-pollution skin- and haircare patents
    • Graph 4: top 10 organisations with active patents related to anti-pollution skincare and haircare compositions and ingredients, 2025
    • Strengthen the skin’s barrier function
    • A healthy skin barrier protects against pollution
    • The skin barrier is increasingly mentioned on pack in skincare launches
    • Graph 5: % of face cleansers and face/neck care launches that state ‘skin barrier’ in the product description, 2020-25
    • Enhance hyaluronic acid production to strengthen and preserve the skin barrier
    • Consider polyphenol-rich extracts to protect and strengthen skin barrier function
    • Peptides are used to boost skin barrier resilience
    • Strengthen the skin barrier with ceramides and botanicals
    • Use actives to shield against pollution stress
    • Skincare launches aim to shield skin from pollutants
    • Brands harness botanicals, ferments and lignin in innovative solutions that shield the skin from pollutants
    • Create an anti-pollution shield with film-forming skincare ingredients
    • Leverage the power of ocean-derived ingredients to protect skin from pollutants
    • Researchers are developing unique blends of ingredients that protect skin from pollutants
    • Choose pollution-protecting haircare ingredients
    • Claims of protecting against the elements are mostly in the hair styling sub-category
    • Graph 6: % of haircare product launches with protects-against-elements claims, by sub-category, 2020-25
    • Haircare launches feature pollution-protection ingredients
    • Leading ingredient manufacturers are exploring key active ingredients that protect hair from pollutants
    • Microbiome-friendly ingredients shield hair from pollution
    • Brands are leveraging microbiome-balancing technology to counteract the impact of pollution on hair
    • What’s next: systems and techniques for analysing pollutants, offering recommendations and assessing product impacts
  4. KEY TAKEAWAYS

    • Key takeaways
  5. APPENDIX

    • Research methodology
    • Key patent examples for anti-pollution products and ingredients for facial skincare and haircare
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Recent patents protect skin and hair from pollution by strengthening barriers, creating physical shields and balancing the microbiome.

Neha Srivastava, Senior Patent Analyst – Food & Drink and Beauty & Personal Care

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