Blue Light Damage & Why You Need Protection Beyond Sunscreen
It’s likely you’ve understood the assignment of protecting your skin from harmful age-inducing UV rays, but are you aware of the potential damage you could be causing your skin by simply sitting inside your home or office? Just 30 minutes of blue light exposure triggers an increase in free radicals within skin cells, accelerating the ageing process, here’s the complete rundown:
What is blue light?
Blue light is a high-energy, short wavelength light that’s part of the visible light spectrum, typically ranging from approximately 380 to 500 nanometers. This range means that blue light has a higher frequency than other colours in the spectrum.
We need blue light for regulating circadian rhythms (sleep-wake cycles) and influencing melatonin production, however overexposure in our modern digital world is impacting our health.
Where are we exposed to blue light?
There are 2 types of blue light - natural and artificial. Natural source of blue light is from sunlight and an artificial source is from digital devices (computers, tv, mobiles etc) and lighting. While sunlight contains more blue light than screens, we are often exposed to artificial sources for longer periods of time every day.
How does it affect our skin?
Blue light exposure weakens the skin barrier and causes premature ageing, here’s how:
Hyperpigmentation: Exposure to blue light can increase pigmentation and intensify the appearance of dark spots and uneven skin tone.
Premature ageing: Blue light has been shown to penetrate deeper into the skin than UVA and UVB rays, reaching the dermis where collagen and elastin are located and causing damage to these essential proteins, contributing to premature skin ageing.
Weakens the skin barrier: Just 30 minutes of blue light exposure from devices increases the production of free radicals in skin cells and disrupts the lipid barrier, which plays a critical role in maintaining hydration and overall skin health.
Impacts on overall health and wellbeing
It’s not just our skin that is impacted… Exposure to artificial blue light from digital screens and lighting during the evening can have detrimental effects on eye health and sleep quality. When blue light enters the eyes, it signals the brain that it is still daytime, suppressing the production of melatonin, making it more difficult to fall asleep and decreasing deep, restorative sleep.
How to protect your skin from blue light damage
Just as we can protect our skin from the sun, we can provide a barrier for our skin when exposing it to screens so often every day. Incorporating skincare products that are formulated with antioxidants and blue light blocking actives will shield your skin and protect it from blue light damage.
Our hero product for blue light protection is our Collagen Calm Activated Mist, designed to spritz and shield throughout the day. We formulated this high performance mist with Lumicease™ blue ingredient which is clinically proven* to:
- Provide triple photoprotection from blue light induced ageing
- Reduce crows feet wrinkle volume by 21.5%
- Induce new collagen synthesis by 46.8%
Other key products for blue light protection include our vitamin C rich Kakadu Brightening Serum and Vitamin E rich Restore Serum. Vitamin C and E work synergistically to neutralise free radicals, support collagen production and maintain the skin barrier for healthier, more resilient skin.
*Clinically proven Lumicease™ Blue Ingredient in the Collagen Calm Activated Mist. Source: Data from clinical studies performed by The Lubrizol Corporation (in vitro and in vivo).
