Blue light effect on skin and the natural ingredient that counteracts it

The blue light effect on skin is increasingly a concern as more research initiatives look at the impact of this kind of light in overall health and skin in particular. 

Blue light has quickly become a growing presence in today’s digital age, as it is emitted by electronic devices such as smartphones, computers, and tablets. This is particularly troubling considering how screen time and smartphone ownership has steadily risen across different parts of the globe, as portrayed by Pew Research Center.

While exposure to natural blue light is essential for regulating our circadian rhythm, excessive exposure has been linked to various health concerns, including eye strain and sleep disturbances. Additionally, the negative impact of blue light on skin health is also behind some key trends in the cosmetic industry, including cosmetic formulas that counteract the effects of blue light on skin.

In light of these developments, regulating circadian rhythms emerges as a key concern, while understanding the science behind the effects of blue light on health is opening the door to fascinating new active ingredients capable of counteracting the blue light effect on skin.

The science behind blue light exposure

Blue light refers to a high-energy, short-wavelength light within the visible  light spectrum, which is the  part of the electromagnetic spectrum that is visible to humans. 

More specifically, blue light presents a wavelength between approximately 380 and 500 nanometers and is emitted by both natural and artificial sources (from solar radiation to light bulbs, LEDs, televisions and smartphones). Blue light presents the shortest wavelength and the greatest energy, compared to other colors.

Because of its unique properties and growing ubiquity in modern life, blue light exposure has been at the center of a multitude of research initiatives. When it comes to human health in particular (and asides from the blue light effect on skin, which we describe below in detail), scientific research on blue light has been centered around two key areas:

• The impact of blue light on circadian rhythms. The circadian rhythm, the body’s natural sleep cycle, is regulated by exposure to blue light. During the day, blue light exposure fosters alertness and enhances mood, promoting wakefulness and cognitive function. However, exposure to blue light during the night can have a significant impact on humans’ sleep-wake cycles (Lockley et al., 2003) and sleep quality (Rüger et al., 2012), due to its capacity to compromise the generation of melatonin.
• The effect of blue light exposure on eye health. Wong & Bahmani (2022) have provided a comprehensive review on this topic, and mention research “remains limited” on the “potential impact of blue light on the ocular surface and other anterior ocular structures”; while also mentioning research that have looked at how, in mice, “overexposure to blue LEDs has been linked  to  apoptosis and oxidative damage in the cornea” (Lee et al., 2016)). The paper also mentions “reduced cell viability and increased production of reactive oxygen species have similarly been observed after exposing human corneal (Lee et al., 2014) and conjunctival (Marek et al., 2018) epithelial cells to different wavelengths and intensities of blue light.”

Skin disruptions caused by blue light effect

Understanding the mechanism of action behind the blue light effect on skin is the first step towards analyzing its effects. 

Because of its shorter wavelength, blue light is less capable of penetrating deeply into biological tissues compared to other types of light (like red or infrared light). When it comes to skin, blue light can typically penetrate the upper layers of the skin (epidermis and dermis) to a depth of approximately 1 mm or less.

Because of its connection to the circadian cycle, inadequate exposure to blue light can trigger a series of skin disruptions, manifesting in a number of effects that include premature aging via oxidative stress, hyperpigmentation or greater sensitivity and dryness:

1. Increased oxidative stress: after penetrating the skin, blue light is capable of generating reactive oxygen species (ROS), or free radicals, which damage the DNA of skin cells and lead to premature aging, wrinkles, and loss of elasticity.
   More specifically, blue light has been found to activate flavins and flavoproteins, with a direct effect on the production of ROS  (Kumari et al., 2023). Additionally, the effect of blue light on human keratinocyte and cutaneous fibroblast proliferation has been studied (Yoo et al., 2020).
2. Hyperpigmentation: exposure to blue light can contribute to the development of dark spots and uneven skin tone. A clinical study showed the effects of visible light in inducing pigmentation in Fitzpatrick skin types IV-VI (Mahmoud et al., 2010). 
3. Inflammation: blue light can trigger inflammation in the skin, and it’s been described as increasing production of the proinflammatory cytokine TNF-α (Yoo et al., 2020)
4. Disruption of skin regeneration processes: processes like cell division, DNA repair, and barrier regeneration within cells are largely regulated by the circadian rhythm. As such, disruptive blue light exposure (such as  that caused by nighttime  screen  use ) can have a harmful impact on skin regeneration processes. This is precisely the context where the effect of blue light on cell detoxification processes should be understood. 

For instance, Dong et al. (2019) describes blue light’s interferences with skin cells processes related to cell regeneration and repair that take place during the night.

5. Barrier function impairment: oxidative stress and interference with the skin’s natural regeneration processes mean inadequate blue light exposure can weaken the skin’s protective barrier. This leads to a series of consequences, including a reduction in the skin’s capacity to retain moisture and to protect from environmental damage.

How to neutralize the blue light effect on skin: the underlying mechanism and the natural ingredient that triggers it 

The circadian cycle represents the capacity of human beings to reset and synchronize to the 24-hour cycles on planet Earth. 

Modulated by diverse stimuli (such as light exposure, cortisol, temperature and nutrition), the suprachiasmatic nucleus – a tiny region of the brain located in the hypothalamus – is the main pacemaker responsible for controlling these rhythms.

However, recent studies published simultaneously in the journals Science and Cell Stem Cell show the presence of peripheral circadian clocks in the epidermis too.

The rhythm-generating molecular circuitry in both hypothalamic neurons and peripheral cells is mainly controlled by a network of feedback loops composed of activators and repressors regulated by two key “clock genes”:

1. CLOCK (circadian locomotor output cycles kaput).
2. BMAL1 (brain and muscle ARNT-like).

The CLOCK/BMAL1 complex regulates hundreds of genes related to various physiological functions including cell growth, DNA damage-repair, immune function, and many other metabolic processes. Furthermore, some of the products of such expressions will simulate and/or repress the circadian circuitry. For instance, the proteins CRY and PER have a direct inhibitory effect on the BMAL1/CLOCK complex, further stabilizing the circadian circuitry.

The key to counteracting the blue light effect on skin lies here: the circadian clock on cutaneous cells focuses on regenerative metabolism, cell proliferation and cell division in the basal layer of epidermis in late afternoon and in the evening. And, at night, genes for keratinocyte differentiation are also expressed to repair the skin barrier. 

As such, cosmetic formulations looking at the resynchronizing of the skin’s natural biorhythm should consider these mechanisms in order to regulate the skin’s circadian clock.

Circanblue™: resynchronizing the skin’s natural biorhythm

Circanblue™  emerges as a biotechnological vegan solution to counter digitally-induced desynchronization of the circadian cycle for healthy skin.

A postbiotic bio-engineered natural active, it has shown chrono-protective activity against blue light, effectively regulating the skin’s circadian clock and thus acting as a repairing and detoxifying ingredient.

Developed by Provital, in vitro efficacy tests have shown Circanblue™ offers:

1. Chrono-protection against blue light. In the test, Keratinocytes were synchronised with dexamethasone – which stimulates the natural cortisone peak of the body’s circadian cycle – and afterwards, irradiated by blue light. Thegene expression of CLOCK and BMAL1 were then measured and quantified for 24 hours at different time points.
2. A good-night Circadian Repair.  After the same synchronization and irradiation procedure on keratinocytes, the gene expression of SIRT1 was measured and quantified at the end of the study.

Obtained via a plant-based fermentation of Lactococcus lactis, Circanblue™ significantly improves several repairing and detoxifying systems of skin by resynchronizing  the biological rhythm altered by excessive blue light exposure.

A vegan biotechnological ingredient obtained and developed through cutting-edge cosmetic science that acts as an efficient strategy to provide protection from blue light effects on skin.

For further information or insights on this topic, please do not hesitate to contact our team of experts, who are available to provide guidance and support in selecting the most suitable solutions for your requirements.