Edinburgh tops list of cities where skin is least impacted by the environment
The city your clients live in has a big effect on their skin – and UK cities have a less harmful impact than most, new research has shown.
The study by beauty retail site Lookfantastic scored cities across the world out of 10 after looking at four environmental influences: air pollution levels, average temperatures, annual sunshine house and the estimate of smoking prevalence.
Pollution levels and UV exposure can impact clients’ complexions and even cause serious medical issues, such as skin cancer.
The UK took two of the three top spots in the list of “healthiest” cities for skin, with Edinburgh named the city where skin is least impacted by the environment, scoring 8.24/10, and Manchester placing third with a score of 7.88. Dublin and London also made the top 10.
Top 10 cities where skin is least impacted by the environment
- Edinburgh, Scotland – 8.24/10
- Helsinki, Finland – 7.92
- Manchester, England – 7.88
- Vancouver, Canada – 7.83
- Dublin, Republic of Ireland – 7.78
- Stockholm, Sweden – 7.77
- Oslo, Norway – 7.75
- Toronto, Canada – 7.60
- Montreal, Canada – 7.58
- London, England – 7.42
Edinburgh ranked so highly due to the low annual sunshine hours (1,895), meaning UV exposure is reduced.
Manchester also has low sunshine hours (1,862), helping to prevent dryness, irritation, and other conditions.
Both cities also ranked low for air pollution levels, averaging just 4.9µg/m³ (Edinburgh), and 11.1µg/m³ (Manchester).
Some will be surprised to see London make the top 10, but while the UK capital scored higher than some for air pollution (12.9), its comparatively low sunshine hours (2,109) and smoking prevalence (17.8%) improved its overall score, putting it just ahead of Copenhagen and Bogota.
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