Your Anti-Pollution Blue Light Skincare Routine
Did you know that the skin is your body’s largest organ? This means that the health and well-being of your skin are inseparable from overall health and well-being. And because we are spending an unprecedented amount of time on screens, FACE wants to help you lovingly protect this organ from any potentially harmful effects with a blue light skincare routine.
Discover the anti-pollution skincare routine we are obsessed with at FACE. We are all about the fewest number of clinically proven, multitasking products to protect our glowing, healthy skin from indoor, outdoor, and digital light pollution. Check out our faves below.
WHAT IS BLUE LIGHT?
Like love, blue light—also known as high-energy visible light—is all around us. While UVA and UVB rays are invisible, they are often accompanied by visible light, as well.
While sunlight is the main source of blue light, it is also emitted by the LEDs that illuminate our smartphones, tablets, computers, and TVs. Although we only absorb a fraction from our screens compared to what we absorb from sunlight, people today are absorbing far more blue light than previous generations.
Why does this matter for your skin? Because blue light penetrates as deeply as UVA rays, right down to the inner layer of the skin, known as the dermis. There are a bunch of important biological structures that reside in this layer of the skin, including fascia, or connective tissue, blood vessels, nerves, and more.
Over time, repeated and chronic exposure to blue light can negatively impact the health of your whole being. Blue light can cause eye strain, harm retinal cells, disrupt sleep patterns, and damage the skin’s barrier.
WHY IS BLUE LIGHT BAD FOR YOUR SKIN?
Blue light creates free radicals on the skin’s surface, which cause oxidative stress. You can think of oxidative stress as rust—but instead of damaging your car, it injures the DNA in your skin cells. As a result, skin becomes inflamed and the skin barrier, the skin’s first line of defense, is compromised.
Imagine what happens when you slice an apple in half: it turns brown on exposure to the air. In other words, it oxidizes. When our skin is exposed to pollution, it oxidizes much more slowly than an apple exposed to the elements.
But the same kind of process is at work in the skin that is not protected from oxidative stress. Eventually, your skin will show signs of this stress, including hyperpigmentation, fine lines, and enlarged pores.
A 2018 study showed blue light from sunlight could damage our skin cells’ DNA—hello, redness, sunspots, enlarged pores, and fine lines. Another study showed that even short-term exposure to digital blue light could damage the barrier and lead to premature aging.
BLUE LIGHT SKINCARE MORNING ROUTINE
Our anti-pollution and blue light protection morning skincare routine helps perfect your complexion while protecting it from harmful free radicals and other environmental pollutants.
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Native Nectar Botanicals
Refresh Micellar Cleanser ($27)
This no-rinse formula adds an extra layer of antioxidant protection to your skincare routine. Save your rinse-off cleanser for the evening.
CLE Cosmetics
Serumide Serum ($68.00)
This multitasking serum contains 4% ceramide concentrate to strengthen the skin’s barrier, plus powerful antioxidants to protect it from environmental stressors.
Make it stand out
Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
Make it stand out
Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
Wildbloom Skincare
Longevity CoQ10 Face Serum ($58)
The potent organic antioxidants in this facial serum target visible signs of aging while helping skin repair itself.
Colorescience
Even Up Clinical Pigment Perfector SPF 50 ($135)
This broad-spectrum sunscreen contains maximum 4-star UVA protection against premature aging and visibly diminishes hyperpigmentation and dark spots.
Make it stand out
Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
Make it stand out
Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
Felix Gray
Alexander Blue Light Blocking Glasses ($105)
Bonus points whenever you are gazing screen-ward. Protect your eyes and the sensitive skin around them from the glare of blue light with these glam frames.
BLUE LIGHT SKINCARE EVENING ROUTINE
This nighttime skincare routine is packed with free radical-neutralizing superstars, plus powerful ingredients to retain moisture, replenish the skin barrier, and aid in cell regeneration. Yes, please!
Make it stand out
Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
Conscious Coconut
Coconut Oil Wipes ($32)
Wash the day away with these easy organic wipes. Coconut oil improves antioxidant status and helps the skin neutralize free radicals.
Wildbloom Skincare Vitamin C Quench Face Tonic ($28)
This antioxidant-packed facial spray is great for layering. Aloe and Vitamin C help balance skin while a blend of essential oils invigorate the senses.
Make it stand out
Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
Make it stand out
Native Nectar
Hyaluronic Plumping Serum ($38)
Apply hyaluronic acid to freshly cleansed and slightly moist face to lock in moisture, plump, and smooth skin.
MD Solar Sciences
Revitalize Retinol Serum ($54)
Well-aging superstar retinol, also known as Vitamin A, is a powerful antioxidant that can help repair the damage from pollution.
Make it stand out
Make it stand out
Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
Native Nectar
Resurface Night Cream ($37)
Jam-packed with Vitamins C, E, and B3, this night cream neutralizes cell-damaging free radicals to restore a weary skin barrier.
DOES BLUE LIGHT DAMAGE SKIN?
So far, studies performed on the potential damage of blue light to the skin have been inconclusive. That being said, whenever oxidative stress occurs, there will be cellular damage.
Free radicals can occur due to oxidative stress, viruses, smoking, and many other causes, leading to an imbalance. Without antioxidants to neutralize them, free radicals allow unbound electrons to wreak havoc on and within the skin. The end result is cellular injury, which increases visible signs of aging like wrinkles, hyperpigmentation, and more.
Since skin health and the health of our whole being are intimately connected, we choose to lovingly protect our skin. The routine below is one of the best ways to do it.
MINIMIZING THE IMPACT OF BLUE LIGHT
While we cannot be sure about the impact blue light has on our skin, at FACE we are all about lovingly protecting these gorgeous bodies in every way we can. Since skin is the biggest organ in our bodies, skin health is inseparable from the health of our whole being.
Screens are here to stay, but we can minimize blue light pollution by prepping and protecting our skin with powerful blue light skincare ingredients like iron oxide, antioxidants, and ceramides.
TAKEAWAY
Blue light can cause eye strain, disrupt sleep patterns, and damage the skin barrier.
Researchers are still studying the long-term effects of blue light on the skin.
Since the skin is the largest organ in the body, we are not taking any chances with potential blue light damage.
You can protect your skin from blue light with iron oxide sunscreens and ceramide-enriched, antioxidant-rich skincare products like those in our blue light skincare routines.
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• Arjmandi et al. (2018) Can Light Emitted from Smartphone Screens and Taking Selfies Cause Premature Aging and Wrinkles? https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30568934/
• Austin et al. (2018) Electronic device generated light increases reactive oxygen species in human fibroblasts. https://doi.org/10.1002/lsm.22794
• Coats et al. (2020) Blue Light Protection, Part I-Effects of blue light on the skin. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33247615/
• Mahmoud et al. (2010) Impact of Long-Wavelength UVA and Visible Light on Melanocompetent Skin. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022202X15349307
• Tosini et al. (2016) Effects of blue light on the circadian system and eye physiology. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4734149/
• Zhao et al. (2018) Research progress about the effect and prevention of blue light on eyes. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6288536/
Written by
Charlotte Wilkes
Strategy by
Ella Marcantonio
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