I grew up in a small town and conversations around skincare were pretty rare. Getting tanned was considered a part and parcel of childhood, and sunburns were dismissed as summer hiccups–nothing that a shower, talcum powder, and a bowl of curd wouldn’t fix. To be honest, I didn’t even add sunscreen to my routine till I was in college. And even then, I would only reach out for my bottle of sunscreen on days I’d spend outdoors, in fact for the longest time I considered sun protection to be a luxury and not really a necessity.
Fast forward to today, sunscreens have become non-negotiable and the most important step in my daily beauty routine. From chemical sunscreens to physical ones, and broad-spectrum SPFs to UVA and UVB protection, I did a little digging to find what works best for me. And today, I want to throw light on an important factor that most ignore—blue light protection.
What Exactly Is Blue Light?
Also known as High Energy Visible light (HEV light), blue light is emitted from the sun or solar radiation (basically the ‘blue’ from VIBGYOR). With extremely high energy, almost as much as UV light, this form of light can also be found emitting from digital screens—everything from television screens, laptops to your cell phones. It has the ability to damage not only your eyes, but also the health of your skin.
“Eventually, blue light leads to collagen and elastin breakdown, melanin disruption, breakage of the epidermal barrier, and also lack of hydration. It also suppresses melatonin production in your body that regulates the circadian rhythm that eventually leads to sleep irregularities,” Dr Apratim Goel, celebrity dermatologist, previously told Beauty Book.
Therefore, a sunscreen that includes blue light protection is what you truly need, whether you’re under the sun, or in front of your television or phone screens. Ingredients like zinc and iron oxide have been proven to deflect blue light, protecting your skin from the emissions. Antioxidants like green tea, chamomile, retinol, and vitamin C and A also contribute to combating the damage caused by blue light. Below, we’ve shared Nykaa’s top 10 bestselling blue light protecting products that also hold a huge fan base.
