How air purifiers can help you achieve your healthiest skin yet

The more we wade into the world of skincare, the more we learn about the skin aggressors that are at play in our daily lives. In a relatively short space of time, we’ve become inundated with information on the damage that UV rays, smoking, and other free radicals can wreak on our skin. Now, it’s becoming clearer that it’s not just outdoor pollution, but indoor pollution that can also have a detrimental effect on our skin. 

Since 2020, the majority of us have found ourselves spending more time indoors, owing to flexible “work from home” schedules; while this might be a boon for our personal lives, it poses more issues for our skin health. Though some of us might think of pollutants as solely outside environmental factors, such as traffic fumes, dermatologist Emma Craythorne explains that “you have as many pollutants inside as you do outside.” 

Everything, from cooking to candles and cleaning products, can emit pollutants that get trapped inside your house, and with more time spent inside—especially in the colder months—comes longer exposure to such aggressors, and an impact on your skin. “Pollutants cause disruptions within the skin cells themselves, therefore increasing wrinkling, pigmentation,  and brown spots,” says Craythorne.

A 2025 study conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of the effects of exposure to fine particulate matter (referred to as PM2.5) on our skin. The results found that long-term exposure was indeed associated with increased pigmentary ageing, noting that particulate pollution activates oxidative and inflammatory pathways, which in turn, weaken the skin barrier. When the barrier is impacted in this way, it creates the opportunity for inflamed, dry, and acne-prone skin to arise.

While acne is largely caused by hormonal factors and sebum production, the expert explains how pollution can also exacerbate the issue. “Pollution causes the sebum to become oxidised; it gets stickier,” she says. This, compounded with the irritation caused by fine particulate matter, can in some cases lead to aggravated acne flare-ups.

So what to do? It’s almost impossible to avoid causing indoor and outdoor pollutants inside the home, which is where an air purifier may be your next surprising yet smart investment for your skin.

An air purifier, much like the name suggests, works by filtering the air in your home to capture tiny particles, from dust to allergens and other indoor pollutants. The benefits of them are twofold: not only do they help those with allergies, but they’re also able to capture the fine particulate matter that messes with our skin. Dyson currently offers one of the most comprehensive ranges of air purifiers, and it’s become one of the most popular choices for good reason; the designs feature built-in sensors to track indoor air quality in real time, letting you monitor your pollution levels easily and allowing the purifier to automatically capture pollutants, such as PM2.5, as they appear.

For those who prefer a multitasking machine, the Purifier Hot + Cool HP1 cleans the air and offers additional heating or cooling options for the surrounding space. If you want to prioritise space, its new HushJet Purifier Compact stands at less than 500 millimetres in height, and can remove 99.97 per cent of particles as small as 0.3 micrometres. There are also more affordable options, including Bosch and Shark, which offer compact machines ideal for kitchen countertops and side tables and have the added benefit of a sleek aesthetic.

When I tried the Purifier Hot + Cool HP1 out in my own home—a zone two flat in London near a busy main road—I noticed a host of surprising benefits after the first couple of weeks of use. Firstly, my hay fever (when indoors) was comparatively less severe than before, but noticeably so in comparison to my days in the office, which sadly lacks any air-purifying tech.

I was sleeping better too, no longer waking up in the middle of the night feeling “stuffy”, meaning my skin looked better for a good night’s sleep. Perhaps the most surprising, though, was that I woke up in the mornings with my eczema, which had been spreading across my arms and neck, looking visibly less inflamed than before. While I’ll have to wait a bit longer to see the benefits for my overall complexion, the change to my dry skin means that I can’t imagine going back to life “BAP”—before air purifier.

Lead image: Matteo Scarpellini / Launchmetrics Spotlight

This originally appeared on Harper's Bazaar in June 2026 

Also read: The summer beauty essentials for glowing skin, healthy hair, and radiant body care

Also read: The best summer lip balms for soft, smooth, sun-ready lips