Is Blue Light Bad For Your Skin?

Scrolling through TikTok until 2:00 AM may be doing more harm than just causing you to miss out on some major beauty sleep! 

All screen time, from Instagram stalking your crush to binge-watching the new Gossip Girl, can be exposing your skin to something called blue light. Unfortunately, blue light doesn’t give you the fresh, happy skin you want. Don’t throw out your phone just yet... 

If you are a part of Gen Z (or any digitally native generation), disconnecting can be close to impossible. Don’t worry — you don’t have to delete your Instagram app just to save your skin! 

Keep reading for the ultimate breakdown on blue light and how you can keep your skin chill with anti-blue light skincare!

What is Blue Light Anyway?

Just about everything seems to have turned digital. From Zoom classes to online events, unplugging isn’t an option for most of us. With hours of your day spent behind a phone or computer screen, it’s vital to understand how this may be affecting you. 

You may be familiar with the effects blue light exposure can have on your eyes or sleep cycle (you might have already invested in a cute pair of blue light glasses to protect your eyes), but digital screens affect your skin too! 

Blue light is a high-energy visible light (also known as HEV light) that research shows can penetrate your skin. Blue light could actually cause as much damage to your skin as sun damage (wear your SPF bestie!). This blue light damage won’t happen overnight or cause your skin to burn, but because most of us spend time on our phones 24/7, blue light may be just as detrimental! 

Wait, Can’t I Just Use SPF?

There is a pretty huge difference between sunshine and screen light. UV rays belong to the invisible light spectrum, while blue light belongs to the visible light spectrum. SPF is designed to protect your skin from UV rays, not blue light.

UVA and UVB rays affect the first and second layers of skin, while research shows blue light’s longer wavelength reaches all the way to the third layer of your skin. While you are soaking in the screen time, blue light can be doing some pretty serious damage. 

The more time you spend in front of the screen, the more you should start protecting yourself against exposure to blue light. Just like how we all wear sunscreen all day, every day (even on rainy days), the same goes for blue light protection (even on your digital detox days).  We formulated three anti-blue light products, so you don’t have to add unplugging to your skincare routine.

What Is Anti-Blue Light Skin Care?

We made blue light protection skincare pretty simple with one powerful ingredient: vegan plankton extract. We love our plant-based ingredients here at florence! 

Phytoplankton (AKA microalgae) are found within bodies of water. They are so small that they can’t be seen by the naked eye, but their size doesn’t hold them back from their amazing properties. 

Phytoplankton is extremely nutritious, containing minerals, vitamins, enzymes, proteins, essential fatty acids, and amino acids. Translation: phytoplankton helps protect and nourish skin.  

We specifically added plankton extract, a vegan algae, for its ability to block blue light from your phone, TV, computer… you get the point.

The Ultimate Blue Light Protection Skin Care Routine

Skip the blue light blues and level up your skincare routine. florence by mills created three new beauty products that take care of your biggest blue light worries. Read up and choose your favorite blue light fighter! 

Hydrate

Our Up In the Clouds Facial Moisturizer leaves skin looking cute and feeling oh-so hydrated for 24 hours. Along with the ✨magical powers✨ of plankton extract to help protect from blue light, Up In the Clouds Facial Moisturizer contains yummy ingredients like grape, apple, plum, and papaya extracts to moisturize and replenish dry skin. Plus, the added ingredient of seaweed extract supports the hyaluronic acid naturally found in the skin. 

How Do I Use? 

1. Start by cleansing your skin with a gentle yet rejuvenating face wash
2. Put on your toner of choice (balancing, brightening, clarifying, hydrating…we can’t choose just one!)
3. Pat on Up In the Clouds Facial Moisturizer
4. Still thirsty? Add a little more to the dry spots
5. Watch Netflix guilt-free!

Tone

We created a toner to help protect against blue light and meet your biggest dry skin nightmares. Episode 4: Soak It In is a daily hydrating toner formulated with a blend of jojoba, baobab, and watermelon seed oils to rejuvenate and replenish. We couldn’t leave out plankton extract which helps defend against any visible damage from blue light. 

Episode 4: Soak It In not only hydrates your skin but visibly enhances your skin’s radiance (you’ll have the perfect glow). 

How Do I Use?

1. After cleansing, pour Episode 4: Soak It In toner into the palm of clean hands
2. Gently press and pat into face until totally absorbed
3. Pat on your fav moisturizer for maximum skincare benefits (we like the Up in the Clouds or Dreamy Dew Facial Moisturizers ;) 

Set

When our makeup melts, so does our chill. Our Zero Chill Makeup Setting Spray helps keep everything in place (including those good vibes). Our formula of plankton, aloe leaf, and thyme leaf extract work together to hydrate, refresh and help protect your skin from light-emitting screens. 

How Do I Use?

1. Perfect that make-up tutorial look
2. Shake Zero Chill Makeup Setting Spray before use
3. Close eyes and spritz onto face
4. Get ready for make-up compliments all day long

Bye-Bye Blue Light

Just because you have protection against blue light exposure in your skincare routine doesn’t mean you shouldn’t digital detox every now and then. 

Since digital devices can be hard to avoid, start small. Try putting your phone away 30 minutes before your bedtime rolls around, or set up a digital-free activity with your besties. Did someone say arts and crafts? 

* https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5653719/

** https://www.harpersbazaar.com/uk/beauty/skincare/a22113765/blue-light-skin-damage-advice/