January 10, 2025

Celebrating 10 Years of Cambridge Mask

This year marks the 10th anniversary of Cambridge Mask. Since 2015, we've been dedicated to creating high-quality, stylish face masks that protect your respiratory health. Along the way, we’ve achieved several significant milestones. Let’s take a closer look at the highlights from our journey.

2015: The Founding of Cambridge Mask

In 2015, Cambridge Mask was founded with a belief that everyone should be able to get out and enjoy life, without having to worry about what they breathe or the way they look. British founder, Christopher Dobbing was living in Beijing and found himself disturbed by the high levels of urban air pollution in the city, and how it was damaging peoples health. We launched the PRO Mask, introducing the advance filtration technology designed to filter airborne pollutants while offering a stylish design.

From the start, we wanted to create face masks that you can trust to give you the highest levels of filtration and make you feel confident & comfortable wearing. The PRO Mask quickly gained attention as a product that made respiratory protection accessible and practical for everyday use for adults and children.

Development of the PRO Mask

Product development started in mid 2014 until mid 2015. A very important differentiating factor to our masks was going to be the innovative integration of a filter developed for military and biological warfare; the activated carbon layer. This enhancement provided protection against even finer particles, filtering pollutants as small as 0.3 microns, and actively kills bacteria and viruses on the mask due to it’s silver impregnation.

This upgrade was especially important for individuals living in areas with severe air pollution, as it offers a more effective barrier against harmful substances in the air, and it suitable for longer term use. The improved PRO Mask set a new standard in filtration technology for personal respiratory protection.

2016: Providing Masks for Schools in China

A large part of our focus when first growing our brand was to provide masks to schools in China. Studies have confirmed that there was a significant rise in childhood asthma cases in China, particularly in large cities with poor air quality, where the prevalence is considerably higher compared to less polluted regions. We developed partnerships and custom masks with several schools in Beijing, such as the Western Academy of Beijing, Montessori School of Beijing, and ran design competitions with the British School of Beijing.

2017: Making an Impact at the Goyol Fashion Show

In November 2017, Cambridge Mask Co participated in Goyol Fashion Week, Mongolia’s bi-annual National Fashion Week in Ulaanbaatar (UB), to raise awareness about air pollution. In collaboration with the British Embassy, the event featured a mask design competition, showcasing 15 finalists who incorporated Mongolian cultural elements into their designs. The winning design earned the opportunity to appear at Hong Kong Fashion Week 2018. Blending creativity with tradition, the competition attracted over 5,000 public votes and underscored the importance of stylish and functional respiratory protection.

2018: The 65 Roses Mask for a Worthy Cause

In 2018, we partnered with Jen and Rob Ronnenberg to create the 65 Roses Mask. Jen Ronnenberg successfully underwent a double lung transplant operation in 2016, and a video of her taking her first breaths went viral. This product wasn’t just about protection—it was about raising awareness for Cystic Fibrosis charities.
The mask featured a stylish design of purple roses inspired by the way children are taught to say ‘cystic fibrosis / sixty five roses’. Individuals suffering from cystic fibrosis have to pay special attention and take care to protect their vulnerable lungs in situations with high levels of air pollution, or medical settings.

2016 – 2024 Partnerships With Renowned Brands

Over the years, we’ve built valuable collaborations with well-known brands like British Airways, Reckitt Benckiser, WH Smith, and Deliveroo. These partnerships helped us expand our reach, making Cambridge Mask products available to a wider audience.
By working with these companies, we aimed to make our masks more accessible and meet the needs of different users, from everyday commuters to professionals working in challenging environments.

2019 - Protecting Frontline Heroes in Nepal

We’re proud to have supported frontline workers around the world. One of the standout moments was providing face masks to the Nepal Police Force, helping protect officers from harmful air pollution as they carried out their duties In Kathmandu, where the air pollution levels remain consistently high due to its location in a bowl-shaped valley that traps pollutants, high vehicle emissions from old cars, widespread construction dust, burning of biomass for fuel and brick kiln operations.

2020 - Covid 19

Covid 19 took us at Cambridge Mask Co by as much surprise as everyone else, we were not ready for the influx in demand for masks and sold out very early as the virus spread in late January 2020. Most of our waking moments during 2020 were spent producing masks to meet the global demand we were experiencing while navigating the challenges of international logistics issues, lockdowns, and everything else that came with that year.

2021 - Supporting United Nation’s Global Health Awareness

Our commitment to public health extended to the global stage when we participated in the United Nations World Antimicrobial Awareness Week in 2021. As a co-sponsor along with the UK Missions to Geneva, we designed a custom mask to highlight the issue of antimicrobial resistance.
This event gave us the opportunity to contribute to a vital conversation about health and well-being on a global scale, further emphasising the importance of prevention and protection.

Expanding Design Choices

For over a decade, we’ve developed over 25 new patterns, giving you a wide range of options to suit your personal preferences. Whether you’re looking for something bold or minimalist design, our diverse collection ensures there’s a mask for every style.
This variety is about more than just looks—it’s about helping you feel confident while staying protected.

Serving Over 1 Million Customers Worldwide

One of the milestones we’re most proud of is serving over 1 million customers across the globe. Each mask we produce is a step towards better respiratory health for someone, somewhere. Knowing that our respirator have had a positive impact on so many lives keeps us motivated to keep improving.

As we celebrate this anniversary, we’re grateful for your support over the past 10 years. Every milestone we’ve reached has been possible because of you.
Cambridge Mask remains committed to helping you breathe cleaner air, feel confident in your respiratory protection and face a better future. Here’s to the next decade of innovation and impact. Thank you for being part of our story.