The UK cities offering the best environment for healthy skin

The city your clients live in has a big effect on their skin, and with searches for healthy skin increasing by 31% in the last quarter,  Fresha set out to reveal which UK cities and towns offer the best environment 

A new study from beauty and wellness booking platform Fresha has revealed which UK towns and cities offer the best and worst environments for healthy skin.

The research analysed a range of lifestyle and environmental factors known to impact skin health, such as UV exposure, access to green space, air pollution levels, smoking rates, beauty salon availability and cost of living pressures, which can influence stress levels.

The UK’s top 10 towns and cities for healthy skin

Edinburgh stands out as the UK’s best city for healthy skin, boasting the lowest average UV index of the top 10 (2.6), and less than 10% of the population are smokers (8.9%). Combined with one of the lowest air pollution rates, at 25, the Scottish city offers its inhabitants the best environment for healthier skin.

Bradford takes second place, with the second-highest number of beauty salons per 100,000 residents (26) and parks per 100,000 (39). While pollution is higher than in Edinburgh, the cost of living for one person is over £400 lower in Bradford, which may help reduce financial stress.

Stress, in turn, can affect the skin by increasing cortisol levels, which can boost oil production and break down collagen and elastin.

Stoke-on-Trent comes third with the highest number of beauty salons for 100,000 people, while Swansea ranks fourth with one of the lowest air pollution levels (21).

Leeds rounds off the top five, boasting the highest number of parks per 100,000 people (42).

On the flipside, Southampton, Manchester, and London rank as the worst cities in the UK for healthy skin. Unsurprisingly, pollution levels in these big urban cities are among the highest (41, 50 and 63).