How to Save Your Skin From Screen-Time Damage

It’s official. With everything turning to digital — work, meetings, and even concerts — our daily screen time has now skyrocketed. In pre-pandemic times, our average screen time was already 12 hours a day and the average person checked their phone 150 times a day. But now our screen time goes beyond the latest TV show binge (Schitt’s Creek, anyone?) and late-night Instagram rabbit holes. 

The good news? Despite at-home distractions (aka our fur children), our productivity levels have stayed pretty much unchanged. “Some individuals have had a harder time than others working from home, but many companies say productivity has remained at pre-pandemic levels, or even gone up,” The New York Times reported. 

The bad news? Unfortunately, the uptick in screen time has made us more susceptible to blue light damage. Blue light (also known as High Energy Visible or HEV light) radiates from the sun and all digital screens, including our laptop, phone, tablet, and TV. It causes oxidative stress on our skin cells, which means there’s an imbalance of free radicals and antioxidants. This causes wrinkles, more pronounced fine lines, age spots, and skin dullness. 

Blue light can also trigger certain skin conditions, like melasma, where the skin produces more pigment. And it can break down healthy collagen and cause inflammation.

According to New York Magazine, blue light has a longer wavelength than other lights in the same spectrum and as a result, permeates deeper into the skin. While UVA/UVB rays only affect the first and second layers of skin, blue light infiltrates the skin’s third layer. 

So how can we support our skin, our body’s MVP that takes the brunt of blue light’s lasting effects? Check out these simple ways to get your skincare regimen on track. Get ready to give blue light the red-light treatment and nail down skin that wins!

Shield Yourself With Products That Have More Than Just Antioxidants

Antioxidants are natural vitamins and minerals that protect against free radicals. And contrary to its name, there is nothing rad about free radicals, which weaken elasticity in skin. While antioxidants do tackle oxidative stress, they don’t reverse other blue light effects. 

For more thorough protection, swap out your daily moisturizer for formulas that provide more skin-enriching nutrients. Goodhabit’s Water Jelly Dew Cream is formulated with BLU5 technology, which acts as a filter and neutralizes artificial blue light. BLU5 contains a special marine active extract that’s sourced from Greenland waters as well as rich proteins and polysaccharides that create a protective film over the skin to prevent future damage.

Water Jelly Dew Cream is also made with over 20% humectants, or hydrating ingredients, including hyaluronic acid, which retains up to 1,000x its weight in water and locks in hydration for your skin. This cream’s infused with blue spirulina as well, a superfood that’s packed with antioxidants, vitamins, and essential amino acids to help minimize inflammation. 

Trust This 4-Step Process

With so many skin products out there, choosing the right one for your skin type can already feel overwhelming. But fret no more! Here’s an easy, foolproof plan to keep your complexion healthy and sans-blue light, no matter your skin type. Plus, these items are 100% clean, vegan, and cruelty-free.

1. Remove dirt, oil, and impurities: We recommend using Goodhabit’s Clean Scene Micellar Gel. It takes off the most stubborn waterproof makeup while cleansing skin and infusing it with soothing hydration. 

2. Glide on toner: Get supple skin with Goodhabit’s Texture Magic Exfoliating Toner. It’s powerful enough to smooth out your skin’s texture and reduce pores overnight, while gentle enough to use twice a day, every day—leaving your skin feeling fresh, clean, and hydrated.

3. Infuse skin with a serum: While there are many serums out there, Goodhabit’s Glow Potion Oil Serum protects you from blue light. The first of its kind, this serum has a robust 3-in-1 formula enriched with antioxidants, skin-strengthening properties, and hydrators that leaves your skin glowing. It also improves your skin’s elasticity, reduces wrinkles and hyperpigmentation, and rejuvenates skin so it’s more plump and supple.

4: Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate: Water itself isn’t enough to quench your skin. According to Healthline, it quickly evaporates after drying off. That’s why hydrators with humectants are key to retaining moisture. As you now know, Goodhabit’s Water Jelly Dew Cream has 20% humectants that nourish your skin. 

Repeat these steps twice a day and say hello to protected skin. You can also shop Goodhabit’s Lifesaver Kit to easily bundle these products. They’re all enriched with BLU5 technology, so you’re good to go.

Wind Down Without Screens — If You Can 

If you’re able to put down your phone before getting shut-eye or are able to find a good stopping point during your TV show-watching spree, your skin will reap the benefits. According to Scientific American, significant amounts of blue light can screw up your beauty sleep since it disrupts our body’s natural circadian rhythm, aka our body’s internal clock. “Blue light affects levels of the sleep-inducing hormone melatonin more than any other wavelength,” Scientific American reported.

Board-certified dermatologist Dr. Elizabeth Bahar Houshmand also shared with Nylon how blue light impacts skin cells themselves. She cited recent findings from the World Congress of Dermatology in Milan on how blue light “causes the skin cells to act like it’s daytime, impacting the nighttime repair process.” Which means your skin’s more prone to dullness and sagging.

If you’re a person who’s unable to turn off your device because you’ve got a nonstop hustle (*raises hand*), you can also try dimming your device or keeping it in night mode as much as possible. 

Blue light is like those pesky bugs that invade your beloved Fiddle Leaf Fig tree. They disrupt a good thing and you aren’t sure why they’re there in the first place. But by implementing the above game-changers, you can help prevent and reverse skin damage from blue light. Now go forth and conquer with your healthy, natural glow.

Ready to protect your skin?