Over the past year or so, I’ve somehow managed to reduce my daily screen time from roughly five-ish hours per day to under two. Of course, this fluctuates depending on the week and what’s going on, but I’d be lying if I said less phone time and more IRL time haven’t made a significant impact in my life. I’ve been sleeping better (simply replacing my phone with a good book at bedtime has been game-changing), I have less anxiety (“out of sight, out of mind” bodes well regarding FOMO, jealously stalking exes, comparing your life or looks to others… the list goes on and on), and my perenially red, itchy, and twitchy eyes have become a thing of the past—no eye drops necessary. Of course, I decided to curb my phone time for sanity and self-preservation’s sake, and due to the nature of my job, I am crunching letters on my keyboard for the majority of the day. But I’d be lying (or maybe just blind) if I said I hadn’t noticed some visible differences in my skin as well.
You’d pretty much have to be living under a rock not to have heard about blue light in recent years. In direct correlation with our rising screen time has come more dialogue about the potentially damaging rays of light emitting this very second from whatever screen you’re staring at. Blue-light glasses have gained mass popularity, most devices have settings to target and filter it out, and now, even the skincare industry (and all of its marketing companies) has taken to warning us about and preventing the effects of blue-light damage.
Of course, being a beauty editor, I approach every kind of marketing ploy and claim with skepticism (it’s physically impossible not to become jaded by the industry when you receive 500 emails a day telling you about the “best new product” of the day, week, month, or year.) So once I started seeing blue-light skincare making its way into email subject lines just as often as other buzzy, overplayed themes, I couldn’t help but ask myself, Is blue-light skincare just the latest gimmick? While it does make logical sense that the light coming from our screens would have some kind of palpable effect on the skin inches away from it, I was still unsure and felt like I needed some expert insight on the subject.
Below, I’m sharing some of the very best (and effective) blue light–protective skincare products and everything else I learned from two renowned dermatologists. Keep scrolling for everything I wish I had known sooner.
According to New York City–based dermatologist Joshua Zeichner, MD, blue light—also known as high-energy visible light—represents the light found specifically within the blue portion of the visible-light spectrum. Its wavelength is slightly longer than ultraviolet light (UV, UVB, and UVA), and it has been shown to penetrate deeper into the skin than ultraviolet does. (Eep!) The good news? While blue-light exposure has been associated with visible signs of aging like dark spots, pigmentation, and the breakdown of collagen, it is not associated with the development of skin cancers (unlike ultraviolet light).
It’s also important to note that while LED lightbulbs and electronic devices carry the worst rep in terms of blue-light emission, sunlight is actually the main source of blue light. Sorry to break it to you, but simply powering down more frequently can help, but it won’t negate your exposure completely. Interestingly, Zeichner tells me that the powers at be don’t actually know how much blue-light exposure is too much exposure, but just like other types of light, even a low exposure level will quickly and easily add up over our lifetimes. Therefore, a combination of prevention and awareness is definitely key.
Luckily, there are specific types of products, treatments, and practices that can help protect your skin from blue light, hence lessening its fast-forward aging effect on the skin—keep scrolling.
Here’s an important shopping hack: A product doesn’t necessarily have to be labeled or marketed as blue-light protection to help protect you. In fact, Zeichner tells us that pretty much any product utilizing high-quality antioxidants will do the trick. Since blue light causes free radical damage in the skin (think brown spots, pigmentation, etc.), applying your daily dose of antioxidants can help minimize the visible impact.
“Chemical sunscreens can filter UV light, but they have no effect on blue light,” explains Zeichner. “Instead, stick to mineral blockers like zinc oxide, which form a physical shield over the skin and may help block blue light’s penetration.”
Laser and/or micro-needling treatments: According to Zeichner, in-office treatments like lasers may be especially helpful when it comes to repairing and improving damage from blue light and the sun’s other harmful rays—think the simultaneous improvements in tone, texture, fine lines, and wrinkles. “Lasers like Fraxel, Clear + Brilliant, or even treatments like micro-needling, can offer skin-rejuvenating benefits,” he confirms.
Supplements to help rebalance your circadian rhythm: “Blue-light exposure impairs our natural circadian rhythm, which is crucial for the body to naturally repair DNA damage we accumulate while we’re awake,” Moy explains. “Cellular MD’s Sol and Nox oral supplements contain nicotinamide and Polypodium I to help protect against blue light and repair the DNA damage it may cause in the skin.”
Blue-light glass and/or screen filters. No, they’re not skincare products per se, but both Zeichner and Moy agree that day-to-day lifestyle choices like unplugging more, holding our screens further away from our faces, wearing blue light–shielding glasses, and opting to turn on the blue-light screen filters most devices offer can definitely help reduce the accumulation of skin damage caused by blue light.
Up next, Finding the Perfect Zinc Oxide Sunscreen Is Hard, But We Found 10