Wealden Times | WT257 | October 2023 | Interiors & Bathrooms Supplement inside

SPF
365
Josephine Fairley turns to specially designed creams to combat the damaging effects of yearround
rays from the sun and – new kid on the skin-ageing block – blue light from our tech
I’ll admit: as a beauty editor, I
used to be a bit casual about the
need to wear a daily SPF on my
face outside of summer. Many of
the experts I spoke to, back in the
day, were of the mindset that in the
UK, when light levels are so much
lower between October to March,
the only time you really needed a day
cream with sun protective powers
was when you were, say, planning
a long yomp over the Downs.
I am now eating any of the words
which I shared on this subject, in the
past. Because things have changed,
and a lot more is understood now
about a.) incidental sun damage
(the sort you pick up when nipping
to the post box, walking the dog,
doing a little early autumn deadheading
etc.), and b.) the damaging
effects of blue light on our skin.
Our devices – smartphones, laptops,
desktop computers and even TVs – all
emit blue light, a.k.a. HEV (High
Energy Visible) light. There’s still a
lot of research to be done into this,
but increasingly it’s thought that blue
light can contribute to the formation
of fine lines and wrinkles, as well as
skin discolouration (those patches
of pigmentation variously referred
to as ‘age spots’ or ‘sun spots’).
Sunlight – outdoors – also contains
HEV, but the point about blue light
is that we’re exposing ourselves to
this indoors, whenever we’re looking
at a screen. Hence the volte face
on wearing sunscreen year-round –
unless we happen to live off-grid.
Although it doesn’t have the same
capacity to cause skin cancer (because
it doesn’t affect DNA), blue light still
triggers production of free radicals –
basically, rogue molecules implicated
in skin ageing. So, the answer is
skincare products which quench,
or neutralise, those free radicals,
before they can do their damage.
You don’t need to adopt a whole
new skincare regime to guard against
this damage, though. In the habit of
wearing sunscreen in summer? You may
well be ahead of the curve. BUT…
it depends on the ingredients in that
sunscreen: the general consensus is that
effective SPF and blue light protection
harnesses ‘physical sunscreen’
ingredients – notably zinc oxide and
titanium dioxide. These are considered
more effective against blue light
than chemical sunscreens – although
many daily SPF products already
feature a combination of both. Above
and beyond the SPF, however, the
formulation should ideally also contain
antioxidants such as vitamin C, green
tea and/or resveratrol (from grapes).
Here, then, are some suitable ‘screensavers’
for your skin, which will also
guard against that incidental sun
damage, when you step away from
your smartphone and get out into
the great (in every way) outdoors. At
the moment, alas, specific blue light
protection is more often at the luxe
end of the price scale – but we can
expect the technology to trickle down
to the mainstream, fairly smartly.
Drunk Elephant Umbra Tinte
Physical Daily Defense SPF30, £32
for 60ml. If you’re looking for a hint of
a tint, as well as protection, check out
this creation from the cult US brand.
A lightweight serum, the adaptable tint
flatters all skintones, featuring marula
and raspberry seeds for softening
hydration, alongside antioxidant grape
juice and sunflower shoot extract.
Neutrogena Purescreen+ Mineral UV
Tint Face Liquid SPF30, £18.70 for
32ml. Another tinted option, this time
promising that it is water-resistant for
up to 80 minutes – which, unless you
are a very dedicated wild swimmer,
may be superfluous to requirements
for the next few months. Blue lightguarding
ingredients here include iron
oxide, while vitamin E protects against
other environmental aggressors.
istockphoto.com/ Ridofranz
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