Environmental damage responsible for much premature aging of skin

Chain Drug Review, Sept 1, 2008

While consumers spend millions of dollars and countless hours tending to their faces, all but about 4% of the skin covering one's body is elsewhere. And that skin is equally susceptible to damage from aging or the elements, marketers say.

Although sales for facial antiaging items continue to be more than 30 times greater than those for body antiaging products, both segments are showing significant growth as consumers looking to revitalize their skin become increasingly aware of the need to treat more than just their faces.

According to Information Resources Inc., drug store sales of facial and body antiaging products each increased by about 10% in the past year.

The sales gains come as women across the nation are discovering what is causing their skin to age and how they can combat the problem.

"While 20% of facial and body skin aging is directly related to our actual age, 80% of premature aging is related to environmental damage," a spokeswoman for Procter & Gamble Co. says, noting that an increasing number of body antiaging products are being formulated to fight against sun damage and the adverse effects of pollutants and other environmental hazards.