Do you wear sunscreen every day? If so, great! You’re on the right track to protecting your skin, but did you know your skin may still be vulnerable to regular oxidative stress? Commuting in a busy city, exposure to air pollutants, and regularly using your smart phone may cause more damage to your skin than you think.

Do you need to protect your skin against pollution and blue light?

Environmental pollution and blue light is a growing concern for many who worry that increased exposure can cause oxidative stress on the skin, leading to premature aging, chronic inflammation, and sensitivities. Blue light has received a lot of attention, but it’s actually not a new occurrence. The sun emits more blue light than any device out there —that’s why the sky is blue!

Many experts agree that blue light is not the enemy, but that our new habits have increased our exposure, particularly at night, which has the greatest effect on our sleep patterns and circadian rhythms.

Chronic disrupted sleep can negatively affect our health, including proper skin repair mechanisms. Turning off devices a few hours before bed, using blue light blocking screen covers, as well as dimming screen lights and using ‘night mode’ features are simple ways to reduce exposure to blue light, especially before bed.

How do you protect your skin from pollution and blue light during the day?

Regardless of the source, chronic oxidative stress can cause significant skin damage. Fortunately, we have sunscreen to help protect against damaging UV rays, but there are no skincare products to ‘block’ pollution and blue light exposure from happening.

The best way to protect against oxidative stress is with antioxidants. Products like Coola’s Full Spectrum 360 Sun Silk Drops take everything into account and combines SPF, lightweight hydration, and a proprietary blend of supercharged antioxidants and plant-derived actives that are clinically shown to help mitigate the skin damage from exposure to blue light, infrared, and pollution.

Antioxidant skincare should be the new norm

While products to counteract pollution and blue light damage aren’t necessary, using a high-quality antioxidant in your skincare routine, like a vitamin C serum, is good practice. We seem be subjecting our skin to an increasing amount of oxidative stress —whether that’s from LED screens, outdoor pollution, or the sun —and it should be the new norm to use antioxidants in our skincare routines, just as wearing a daily sunscreen has become the norm.

Written by: Seanna Cohen, Skincare Therapist