Slough revealed as worst UK city for skin
New research analysing average pollution, sunshine and hours worked has revealed the UK’s 10 worst cities for your skin.
The data, conducted by Landys Chemist, analysed pollution levels, which were scored out of 100, as well as sunlight hours, temperatures, and average hours worked to give each city an overall score out of 10.
Slough ranked as the worst city in the UK for skin health, with an overall score of just 1.32 out of 100, due to its high pollution levels (70.8 out of 100).
Slough also took the top spot for highest hours worked, averaging over 37 a week. Six other cities (Doncaster, Portsmouth, Northampton, Blackpool, Newport and Wolverhampton) also worked the same average weekend hours.
| Rank | City | Pollution Index Score | Dirtiness And Untidiness Score | Average Monthly Sunlight Hours |
Average Temperature (ºC) |
Average Weekly Hours Worked | Complexion Capital Score /10 |
| 1 | Slough | 70.8 | 60.7 | 69 | 10.7 | 37.5 | 1.32 |
| 2 | Southend-On-Sea | 60.3 | 83.3 | 77 | 11.2 | 35.2 | 1.94 |
| 3 | Portsmouth | 50.3 | 68.2 | 77 | 11 | 37 | 2.23 |
| 4 | Doncaster | 79.9 | 79.2 | 70 | 9.9 | 37 | 2.38 |
| 5 | Northampton | 49.2 | 66.7 | 67 | 10.1 | 37.4 | 3.11 |
| 6 | London | 57.8 | 49.3 | 69 | 10.8 | 36.5 | 3.15 |
| 7 | Blackpool | 44.9 | 62.5 | 74 | 10.3 | 37 | 3.33 |
| 8 | Bournemouth | 44.9 | 58.9 | 72 | 11.4 | 36.8 | 3.55 |
| 9 | Newport | 46.8 | 83.5 | 68 | 10.3 | 37 | 3.77 |
| 10 | Wolverhampton | 69 | 87.5 | 64 | 9.7 | 37 | 3.77 |
Southend-on-Sea took the second spot, with an overall score of 1.94. The seaside town is one of the warmest places in the UK with an average temperature of 11.2ºC, and an average of 77 hours-per-month of sunlight, putting residents at a higher risk of UV damage.
Portsmouth rounds off the top three worst cities with a score of 2.23.
The coastal town shares the top spot for the highest monthly sunlight hours with Southend-on-Sea, as well as high average monthly temperatures of 11ºC and high working hours of 37 hours weekly.
Rounding off the top 10 is Wolverhampton, which has the highest dirtiness and untidiness score in the table, at 87.5 out of 100, leading to clogged pores from bacteria and dust in the atmosphere.
The other end of the rankings reveal Edinburgh as the best city for your skin, with an overall score of 8.75, ranking highly due it’s low working hours, with the city averaging 35 hours a week, and its low sunlight hours of just 62 per month.
The same research was applied to 34 countries, with the UK being ranked at 13 overall with a score of 5.48, due to the low temperatures and sunlight hours. However, the UK scored highly for pollution, with scores averaging at 38.5 out of 100.
Denmark and Luxemburg are joint first, both scoring 7.85, with both countries having low average annual working hours, as well as having low pollution levels.
Click here to read the full report
Want to know other factors that impact your skin? Check out how lack of sleep impacts your skin health.
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