Study: CBD Protects Human Skin From Air Pollution Damage
- Researchers from Thailand studied the effects of particulate matter (PM), a common air pollutant, on full-thickness human skin samples, finding that PM accelerates skin aging, triggers inflammation, and weakens the skin’s protective barrier.
- Exposure to PM increased inflammatory markers (IL-6, MMP-1, COX-2), oxidative stress, and activated the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR), while reducing proteins essential for skin structure and barrier function like procollagen type I, fibrillin, and filaggrin.
- CBD treatment on polluted skin samples lowered inflammation and oxidative stress markers, reduced AhR activation, and restored key structural and barrier proteins, without significantly affecting unstressed skin.
- The study suggests CBD could be effective in protecting human skin from pollution-induced molecular damage, highlighting its potential use in anti-pollution skincare products.
A study published in the journal Biomolecules finds that cannabidiol (CBD) can help shield human skin from damage caused by air pollution. Researchers from the National Science and Technology Development Agency and Chulalongkorn University in Thailand used full-thickness human skin samples to examine how particulate matter (PM), a common air pollutant, affects skin health. PM is known to accelerate skin aging, trigger inflammation and weaken the skin’s protective barrier.
In the study, skin samples were exposed to PM for 48 hours. Some samples were also treated with CBD. The researchers then measured markers tied to inflammation, oxidative stress, collagen breakdown and barrier integrity.
Exposure to pollution significantly increased levels of inflammatory markers such as interleukin-6 (IL-6), matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MMP-1) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2). It also boosted oxidative stress indicators and activated the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR), a sensor linked to environmental toxins. At the same time, pollution reduced proteins essential for healthy skin structure and barrier function, including procollagen type I, fibrillin and filaggrin.
CBD treatment reversed many of these effects. It lowered inflammatory and oxidative stress markers, reduced AhR activation and restored key structural and barrier proteins. Notably, CBD did not significantly alter unstressed skin, suggesting its effects were targeted to pollution-related damage.
The findings indicate that CBD may help protect human skin from molecular damage caused by air pollution, supporting its potential use in anti-pollution skincare formulations.