Titanium Dioxide=Sunscreen and Smog-Eater?

While reading Time magazine last November, I came across a blurb about the very cool invention of smog-eating cement. In a town near Milan, cement was mixed with titanium dioxide, which broke down smog, thus negating its power. An eager beaver of excitement, I headed to my laptop, where I found this article, also about titanium dioxide's smog-reducing ability.

Both of these stories beckon the question: Can makeup, moisturizers, and sunscreen with titanium dioxide—a mineral sunscreen that naturally protects against UVA and UVB rays—then prevent free radical damage from pollution on the face (aka aging)? I'm no scientist and don't have the answer, but it can't hurt to try, right?

Need some recommendations? My titanium dioxide-containing picks are Jane Iredale Dream Tint SPF 15 tinted moisturizer, Juice Beauty Green Apple Moisturizer SPF 15, and the new John Masters SPF 30 Mineral Sunscreen. It contains reparative moisturizers and humectants like aloe, shea butter, and hyaluronic acid, plus antioxidant-rich green tea and healing calendula. Happy days of sunshine this summer!

NEW Ren Moroccan Rose Otto Sugar Body Polish

Those of you with jobs or enviable inheritances may be interested to know that Ren Skincare has debuted a luxe, summer-perfect item to accompany its popular Moroccan Rose Otto line: Moroccan Rose Otto Sugar Body Polish—a pampered way to exfoliate before applying self-tanner or simply removing dry, dead beach skin this season.

Pretty factor: Paraguayan cane sugar refines and smooths skin, while almond oil silkily nourishes. Caffeine in kola nut energizes fat cells, helping to temporarily reduce cellulite. A pinch of rose otto and palmarosa essential oils soothe the psyche. (We recommend saving some for winter, when you'll really need the mental escape.)

Eco factor: No petrochemicals, sulfates, parabens, phthalates, synthetic fragrance or colors, T.E.A., D.E.A., propylene glycol, silicones, PEGS, animal ingredients or animal testing. U.K.-based Ren donates 2.5% of its profits to environmental organizations.

To buy: $60 at renskincare.com, where there's free shipping and a free Neroli Body Wash with every purchase

Wallet-friendly option: 100% Pure's fresh fruit scrubs ($22) are also amazing.

Collective Wellbeing Pumice/Peppermint Buffing Bar for Feet

An easy-on-the-pocketbook, perfect-for-everyone product for your Monday morning: Collective Wellbeing's Pumice/Peppermint Buffing Bar. This baby has completely smoothed (summer-prepped) my dry, tough feet, and it leaves an irresistibly invigorating minty scent. Plus, check out the company's commendable environmentalism down in "Eco factor."

Pretty factor: Volcanic pumice, ground walnut shell, and buckwheat hulls, set in a grime-removing base of palm oil soap, thoroughly cleanse and polish the toughest calluses. Sage, juniper and lemongrass extracts help purify and organic peppermint and spearmint essential oils give dirty summer feet a refreshing, clean tingle.

Ideal for: Women and men, who will love the scent and grittiness

Eco factor: Collective Wellbeing uses organic botanicals and no sulfate detergents, parabens, or synthetic fragrance or colors. They give to organizations that work to improve our environment and are active members of 1% For the Planet. They're also the first consumer product to join The Chicago Climate Exchange, through which they completely eliminate their carbon footprint.

To buy: $6 at Whole Foods and collectivewellbeing.com

Aventine Hill Bath Emporium Cleansing Grains

A blogging friend recently launched a lovely, affordable natural skin and body care line called Aventine Hill Bath Emporium. (Aventine is one of the seven hills on which Rome was built and the site of a temple to Minerva, goddess of wisdom, medicine, the arts, and crafts). Sheila's homeopathic concoctions include superb cleansing grains that I've been loving the past few weeks.

What are cleansing grains, you may ask? Typically oat or rice-based—and mixed with water—they've been used for centuries as a gentle, nutritional method of removing dead cells, unclogging pores and tightening the skin.

Pretty factor: My favorite among Aventine Hill's three varieties is Grandma's Herbal Cleansing Grains, which contain rice bran and colloidal oatmeal to exfoliate while soothing, and kaolin clay to tighten pores and reduce oil. Additionally, chamomile flowers calm, rose hips provide a lil' antioxidant vitamin C, and caffeine from cocoa perks up the skin.

To use: I've found that the easiest way to use cleansing grains is to sprinkle a bit into your cleanser to instantly transform it to an exfoliator. They also make an effective mask.

Eco factor: Aventine Hill products are free of parabens, sulfates, petrolatum, and synthetic color. No animal testing.

To buy: $9.50 at myaventine.com

The Science Behind 10 Natural Skin Remedies

Thank you to reader Rachel, who passed along a great slideshow from Scientific American (an excellent magazine if you've never checked it out) titled "The Science Behind 10 Natural Skin Remedies: Why They Work—Or Don't."

The piece examines the effectiveness of treatments such as applying cucumber slices to reduce eye puffiness, using fruit acids to renew the skin, and exercising to delay aging. (Spoiler alert: Nearly every natural remedy they scrutinize works. But we already knew that!)

Elemental Herbology Facial Detox Purifying Mask

I'm a sucker for packaging. Anything that would sit pretty in the shower or medicine cabinet arises in my usually cynical mind the thought, "If the makers' taste is this lovely, then the performance has to be!" Well, the book matches the cover with Elemental Herbology's Facial Detox Purifying Mask, whose whimsically floral outside lured me in and whose results have stamped it a skincare staple this summer.

Pretty factor: Yeah, the $58 price sticker elicits an "ouch," but you get extraordinary ingredients. To name some: Oat flour and white Amazonian clay (wealthy in minerals and purifying salts) gently exfoliate and eliminate toxins from the dermis. Aloe, calendula and manuka honey—a potent anti-inflammatory—soothe the skin and help heal sunburn. And lavender, rosemary, eucalyptus and tea tree essential oils debacterialize, decongest, balance sebum production, and enliven.

Tip: Is a great overnight spot treatment

Eco factor: No parabens, sulfates, mineral oil, synthetic fragrance or dyes, or animal testing.

To buy: $58 at spacenk.com. (Space NK is an upscale British apothecary with a few New York outposts that I frequently perused when I lived in Manhattan.)

Sunny, Summer Toes

Ready or not, it's almost summer again and time to make your toes sandal-ready! Our pick this season is a bold, canary yellow polish from Zoya's La-Di-Da Summer '09 Collection called Pippa. It's among six ridiculously optimistic shades, like cherry red and watermelon fuschia, that look like they've burst forth from a Skittles bag. The colors are amazingly wearable, though, due to their opaque cream finish.

When you're ready for a new hue, enlist Priti Soy Polish Remover. Made by a chic organic salon in NYC and praised by numerous beauty editors, the remover is 100% natural and free of noxious acetone.

Eco Factor: Zoya nail polishes are free of toluene, formaldehyde, camphor, and DBP (dibutyl phthalate).

To Buy: Nail polish: $6 at artofbeauty.com, select Whole Foods and salons worldwide. Polish remover: $11.25 at pritiorganicspa.com