Neck, dry eyes, poor sleep and our mental well-being; a digitised lifestyle hasn’t enhanced our health. To add to that blue light emitted from our devices is damaging our skin. Using a broad-spectrum sunscreen to protect it against UVA, UVB and blue light can mitigate its harmful effects, but not all sunscreens are equal. Experts say for a skincare product to claim blue light protection it must provide more than 35 per cent protection after it has been applied on to the skin. Yet some brands are misleading customers.
“Some products report up to 200 per cent blue light protection, but when you take a closer look at the fine print it’s measured against bare skin or the skin’s natural melanin,” said Dr Alain Khaiat PhD, a renowned scientist with 40 years of experience in the cosmetic industry. Dr Khaiat was awarded the first-in-cosmetics Lifetime Achievement Award in 2010. He consults for Crystal Tomato®, a Singapore-based cosmeceutical brand specialising in anti-ageing skincare and whitening supplements to improve melasma, a chronic skin disorder that results in symmetrical, blotchy, brownish facial pigmentation.
“The melanin in your skin has little protection against blue light so we need to understand that such comparisons are meaningless,” Dr Khaiat said, adding that an independent test done on a product making such claims revealed actual blue light protection was no more than 26 per cent – well below the recommended minimum.
Blue light, also known as High Energy Visible light (HEV), is a short wavelength that produces high amounts of energy ranging from 380-500 nanometres. It is emitted from all our digital devices including TV screens, LED lights and our biggest blue light source the sun.
Numerous studies prove that blue light causes skin damage including hyperpigmentation, inflammation, photo-ageing (skin wrinkling and sagging) and it induces oxidative stress and weakens the skin’s surface. Oxidative stress is an imbalance between free radicals and antioxidants in the body. It results in a loss of elasticity and collagen and an increase in sagging, lines and wrinkles.
Blue light penetrates deeper into the skin than UVA and UVB. This means that we are ageing much faster. Skincare companies are trying to bank big on such science, with several products with inadequate blue light protection available in the market.
According to Crystal Tomato® blue light is the new buzzword promoting these products. But it’s time to clear the smoke and mirrors and learn to shop for an effective product.
Does it specifically state it will protect you from blue light? How much blue light protection does the product give you? Were credible in-vitro (tests done in a lab) and in-vivo (tests done on humans) done to support their claims? Human and laboratory trial studies are essential to ascertain UVA, UVB and blue light protection, the company said.
Realising that blue light protection was critical to people’s digital, multi-screen lifestyle, scientists at Crystal Tomato® embarked on a quest to create a sunscreen product that combined effective blue light and UVA and UVB protection. After five years of research and stringent in-vitro and in-vivo tests they developed Beyond Sun Protection by Crystal Tomato® which, as the name suggests, goes above and beyond average sunscreen products.
Beyond Sun Protection by Crystal Tomato® has a proven blue light protection of 54 per cent, the highest scientifically proven blue light protection in the market. It also has UVA protection of index 17+ and SPF 75+ UVB protection. The product is non-comedogenic, hypoallergenic and very lightweight. It glides on to the skin, providing a high-level of protection without the heavy, greasy feeling that is common in sunscreen products with high SPF protection.
Complete with antioxidants to fight free radicals while it hydrates and lightens the skin, Beyond Sun Protection by Crystal Tomato® has been developed to leave the skin with a dewy, fresh and bright complexion. The product was created to embrace current lifestyles while keeping skin well protected from what causes it harm, whether indoors or outdoors.
Prior to Beyond Sun Protection, Crystal Tomato® conducted an 18-month study in collaboration with the National Skin Centre, Singapore, to scientifically prove their whitening supplements and cream products could effectively improve melasma. They triumphed with the development of their anti-pigmentation treatment protocol, where the gold standard, Triple Combination Topical Therapy, (TTT – 4% Hydroquinone, Retinoid & Steroid) for such conditions failed.
Crystal Tomato® products and Beyond Sun Protection are available at the National Skin Centre, Tan Tock Seng Hospital and at reputable aesthetic clinics such as: Woffles Wu Aesthetic Surgery & Laser Centre, Joyce Lim Skin and Laser Clinic, Dermacare Aesthetic and Laser Clinic, Vidaskin Medical Aesthetic Clinic and Freia Aesthetics.
For more information, visit www.crystaltomato.com
*Study by Delamour E., Miksa S., Lutz D., Euro Cosmetics 10, 22-26, 2017
