Why you should be protecting your skin from blue light

Our skin is our largest organ, and by now, if you’re reading a blog post about how Blue Light affects your skin, you probably already know this to be true. On the topic of things that are true, we are living in a digital age – one that is filled with computer screens and tablet screens and phone screens and smart watch screens. Screens that have functions to tell you to get off your screen and screens that change colour schemes at night. We are constantly plugged in, and as a result, so is our skin. As the largest organ in our body, the skin’s job is to protect us from the outside world. It keeps us safe from pathogens, pollution, UV rays, and everything else we come into contact with, which is why we need to protect it so it can keep doing its job. But what does this have to do with blue light? Below, we break down how blue light affects your skin, and how to minimise those affects to keep it safe and glowing.

What is blue light?

We are all aware, hopefully, that UVA and UVB rays are harmful to the skin. It penetrates from 290 to 400 nanometers, and can cause irreparable harm to the skin, not to mention increasing the risk of skin cancer exponentially. Blue light, or High Energy Visible light (HEV), has recently been found to penetrate as deeply as UVA and UVB rays. The free radicals that are induced by HEV light can destroy complete cell structures over time, making skin more susceptible to premature aging, dryness, impaired skin healing, melasma, sensitivity, and loss of collagen over time. Not exactly ideal.

Is blue light dangerous?

Naturally it’s important to note that while HEV light can penetrate as deep into the skin as UVA and UVB rays, HEV does not carry the same risks of skin cancer as the sun does. But from an aesthetic perspective, we want to do everything we can to protect our skin from the blue light it is so frequently exposed to (sorry, skin! We live online now).

How can you protect your skin from blue light?

Enter: The MOTHER of Pearl, and MOTHER’s newly released Tinted SPF, both formulated with your skin’s defences in mind. MOTHER’s The MOTHER of Pearl acts as a foundation-free shield for your skin, protecting it from environmental stressors like pollution, free radicals, and HEV light. How does it do this? Lipshield Fractionated Melanin, a fractionated melanin compound, designed to be used topically as an additional environmental defense against High Energy Visible light (HEV). This, in conjunction with anti-pollution peptides and Australia’s native superfood, the highly Vitamin C-rich Kakadu Plum.

The MOTHER Tinted Skin Touch Up SPF works slightly differently, and has the added benefit of 50+ sun protection from UVA and UVB rays, as well as HEV light. It combines Zinc Oxide and Iron Oxides to provide blue light protection. How does this work? Iron oxides are cosmetic pigments that are derived from naturally occuring mineral deposits. These iron oxides actually act as a kind-of colour shield to protect the skin by reflecting visible light, and in conjunction with Zinc oxide which actually does the heavy lifting on the UVA/UVB front, makes the perfect shield for anything our skin may come up against.