The latest trend in skincare: anti-pollution makeup sales soar

As city air becomes more toxic, sales of a new type of product are booming

Demand for anti-pollution beauty products is soaring as Londoners wake up to the impact of toxic air on their complexions. Microscopic particles are second only to the sun in terms of their ageing effect, and there is a growing trend toward skincare designed to combat them.

At the department store Liberty online searches for anti-pollution skincare are up 73% since this time last year. "We're right next to Oxford Circus" - one of the most polluted places in London - "so our customers are very attuned to the topic and definitely associate pollution with skin ageing," said the store's beauty buyer, Emily Bell, who predicts that in the future anti-pollution products will be as commonplace as sun protection creams.