Best Sunscreen for Blue Light Protection: Screen-Proof Protection!

Brace yourself, folks! We’re about to embark on a journey into the heart of the invisible battlefield that is our everyday life—where our innocent beloved phones and LED screens aren’t as harmless as they seem.

Enter Blue Light—the unassuming agent of havoc that’s as constant a companion as your binge-worthy shows, your go-to app game, or even our beloved sun. From disrupting sleep patterns to accelerating aging, blue light is a silent health adversary we confront every day.

And here’s the sticky point — not all sunscreens will protect blue light. But don’t fret. We’re here to showcase the best of blue light sunscreens to armor you against this invisible foe.

Let’s jump in!

Best Sunscreen for Blue Light Protection

1. Australian Gold Botanical Tinted Face BB Cream Sunscreen

About: Sunscreen from the land down under knows how to do it right — this unique SPF 50 sunscreen isn’t just a defender against harmful UVA and UVB rays, but also offers reliable blue light protection.

Crafted with the delicate sensitivity of facial skin in mind, its fusion of zinc oxide and titanium dioxide serves as a reliable fortress that keeps out harmful sun rays and, due to its physical mineral components, keeps away blue light damage too!

Features:

• Oil-free and chemical filter-free: To avoid causing skin irritations or triggering breakouts.
• Natural Bonus Ingredients: Includes extras like Kakadu Plum for Vitamin C, Eucalyptus, and Red Algae to nurture your skin.
• Hypoallergenic: Designed to minimize allergic reactions.
• Vegan, Gluten-Free, and Cruelty-Free: Ethically and health-consciously made so you can stay safe while feeling good.
• Tinted Finish: Adds a glow to your skin while smoothing imperfections — some even say it’s as good as light makeup!

2. CeraVe Tinted Sunscreen

About: Armed with a mineral base, the CeraVe Tinted Sunscreen offers gentle but effective protection, all with a subtle tint to smooth skin and offer a base for a full face of makeup (or wear it alone to keep things simple).

Its broad-spectrum SPF 30 shield squashes UV rays and shrugs off blue light.

Features:

• Water-resistant: Ideal for active lifestyles and humid or intemperate climates.
• Tinted for Evening Skin Tone: Helps cover skin imperfections while offering protection.
• Mineral-Based: Also known as physical or inorganic sunscreens, mineral sunscreens are often gentler on sensitive skin and are the only types of sunscreen to protect against blue light damage.

3. EltaMD UV Clear Tinted Face Sunscreen

About: Balancing between offering strong protection of SPF 46 while being sensitive enough for acne-prone and sensitive skin types, the EltaMD UV Clear sunscreen brings a unique touch to the fight against UV and blue light.

This is another sunscreen with a nice tint too, so if you like a light look you can get away just wearing this — bye bye foundation!

Features:

• Oil-Free: Formulated to avoid clogged pores and acne breakouts.
• Transparent Zinc Oxide-Base: The transparent zinc oxide sits on the surface of your skin as a physical barrier to sunlight and blue light, without white residue or heaviness.
• Fragrance and Paraben-Free: Further qualities that decreases the risk of skin irritation.
• Niacinamide Enriched: Niancinamide supports the skin barrier and decreases inflammation, which can be beneficial for skin conditions like acne and rosacea.

4. La Roche-Posay Anthelios Tinted Sunscreen

About: Marching under the French skincare standard, the La Roche-Posay Anthelios Tinted Sunscreen is where sophistication meets sun protection. With an impressive SPF 50 protection rating, it treats UV and blue light like unwelcome guests, showing them the door before they can cause any harm.

Features:

• Lightweight and Fast-absorbing: Convenient for quick application, and won’t leave a heavy or greasy feeling.
• Matte Finish: Offers a non-shiny finish that feels comfortable on the skin.
• Oil-free, Fragrance-free, and Allergy-Tested: Designed to be compatible with sensitive skin.
• Gentle Tint. Slight tint to offer a finished look, without the need of extra foundation makeup.

5. Thinksport SPF 50+ Mineral Sunscreen

About: The Thinksport SPF 50+ Mineral Sunscreen isn’t just for defending against the sun’s rays. It’s perfect for those long on-screen exposure days, too, providing a robust block against the negative effects of blue light.

This powerhouse of a sunscreen, designed with sports in mind, is also the first sunscreen to pass Whole Foods Premium Care requirements

Features:

• Sweat and Water-Resistant up to 80 Minutes: Ideal for those sweaty gym days and swimming plans.
• Environmentally Friendly: Contains non-nano Zinc Oxide, which is safe for coral reefs and effectively protects against blue light.
• Devoid of Harmful Ingredients: You won’t find PABA, parabens, phthalates, BPA, oxybenzone, avobenzone, petroleum, gluten, dairy, or toxic chemicals here.

6. Blue Lizard Sensitive Mineral Sunscreen

About: Blue Lizard’s Sensitive Mineral Sunscreen provides solid armor for sensitive skin. Not only does it offer a trusted guard against harmful UV rays, but its Zinc Oxide composition also ensures blue light protection – crucial for those long hours in front of screens.

Features:

• Designed for Sensitive Skin: Its gentle formulation keeps skin irritations at bay.
• Loaded with Zinc Oxide: This ingredient offers broad-spectrum protection against UV rays and blue light without causing skin irritation.
• Fragrance-Free and Paraben-Free: To ensure a minimal risk of skin reactions or allergies.
• Water-Resistant: Perfect for sports and water activities.
• Reef-Safe: Lacks oxybenzone or octinoxate, protecting our precious coral reefs.

What to Look for in a Blue Light Sunscreen

What exactly should you look for when shopping for a blue light sunscreen? Let’s break it down.

• Stellar SPF Factor. Sunscreen’s SPF (sun protection factor) isn’t just a number! It tells you the amount of UV rays it can block. And when protecting your skin from blue light (or any other UV light for that matter), SPF 30 or higher is your best bet. Just remember, a higher SPF doesn’t mean it’ll last longer — no matter your SPF choice, reapplying regularly is the secret sauce to effective sun protection.
• Broad Spectrum Protection. Broad spectrum is the VIP pass in the sunscreen world, as it offers protection against both UVA and UVB rays. UVA is the bad guy behind skin aging, while UVB causes sunburns and, yep, you guessed it, skin cancer. So, when you’re shopping keep those eyes peeled for a broad spectrum sunscreen — no other will do!
• Mineral vs. Chemical Ingredients. There’s a fair bit to be said in the debate of physical mineral vs chemical sunscreen, but in a nutshell — chemical sunscreens absorb into the skin, while mineral sunscreens sit on top of the skin. For protecting against blue light damage, mineral sunscreen is your only option, so opt for physical mineral sunscreens featuring ingredients like zinc oxide and titanium dioxide.
• Skin Sensitivity. Skin sensitivity issues? We hear you. For sensitive folks, it’s essential to seek out hypoallergenic and non-comedogenic sunscreens. Lucky for you, mineral sunscreens (the only ones that protect against blue light exposure) are known for their easy-going nature and gentle formulas. However, we’d still always recommend a patch test before you bathe your skin in a new sunscreen—no one needs an itchy surprise!

What Exactly Is Blue Light, Anyway?

Blue light is a part of the visible light spectrum that the human eye can see. Since it vibrates between 380 and 500 nanometers, it’s actually the shortest wavelength and highest energy of the bunch.

Believe it or not, about one-third of all visible light is classified as blue light. And where do we find it? Our sun, the biggest light source we have, is the largest provider of blue light.

But as we’ve moved into an age of technology, we’ve invited even more blue light into our lives through artificial sources like fluorescents, TVs, computers, and the smartphones that rarely leave our palms.

While the blue light exposure we receive from our digital screens is small compared to the amount of exposure from the sun, there’s still a lot of concern about the long-term effects of SO much screen exposure.

Especially because — since our eyes aren’t great at blocking blue light — almost all visible blue light passes through our eyes to reach the retina. And over time, constant exposure to blue light can damage our retina cells and even cause vision issues like cataracts, growths on the eye, and even eye cancer.

Children have been shown to be especially at risk since their eyes absorb more blue light from digital devices (and they spend lots of time on digital devices, with online activity being the main means of socializing for many young folks today).

The Dangers of Blue Light Exposure

So, why is blue light such a concern for us anyway? Let’s discuss the health effects of blue light exposure.

• Blue Light is Literally Everywhere. It’s not just the sun pouring out blue light; laptops and smartphones are major sources of blue light that we’re exposed to for much of the day.
• It Messes Up Your Internal Clock. Too much exposure to blue light can wreak havoc on your circadian rhythm as it alters when your body produces melatonin, leading to issues like insomnia and fatigue. Additionally, upsetting your circadian rhythm can even increase your chances of developing of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and cognitive dysfunctions.
• Skin Deep Dangers. More bad news — blue light penetrates your skin more deeply than UVB light (responsible for sunburn) and nearly as deeply as UVA light (yes, the one causing skin aging). This penetration triggers oxidative stress in the skin cells, which can lead to premature aging—cue wrinkles, fine lines, and hyperpigmentation. Not quite the youthful radiance we signed up for, right?
• Blue Light Causes Cancer Too. Many of us assume we only have to worry about skin cancer when it comes time spent in the sun outdoors, but extended exposure to blue light has been linked to certain types of cancers, diabetes, and heart disease, among a host of other health issues.

It’s not all bad though — there are some positive effects of blue light too. Blue light can increase alertness, helps boost memory and brain function, and can even give you a mood lift too.

But, in the end, that isn’t worth the dangers it poses.

Ways to Stay Safe from Blue Light

So at the end of the day, how do we protect ourselves from blue light?

• Invest in Blue Light Blocking Glasses. Wouldn’t it be nice if you could just wear a magic shield that sends blue light packing? Well, that’s sort-of what blue light blocking glasses do! These nifty lenses block out the harsh blue light before it reaches your delicate eyes, acting as your personal defense system while you game, scroll, or binge-watch to your heart’s content.
• Protect Your Skin. Blue light sunscreen can help protect your skin from blue light exposure, along with protecting against other types of visible light and UV rays too. Wear sunscreen every day to keep your skin smiling and safe!
• Opt for Red Lights. Now, here’s an interesting twist: opting for red lights, especially at night, can help counteract blue light exposure. Red light has the lowest power-frequency rate and thus, is gentle on your eyes and your body’s sleep rhythm. Consider switching to color-changing lights so you can dim your lights to a red tone towards the evening.

• Follow the 20-20-20 Rule. No, this isn’t a secret spy code. It’s a simple tip to keep digital eye strain at bay: every 20 minutes, take a 20-second break and focus on something 20 feet away. Trust us, your eyes will thank you!

• Light Control and Screen Setup. Keep lighting and screen glare under control. Ensure your screens aren’t too bright or too dull and maintain a comfortable distance and posture while watching or working. Remember, small changes can have significant effects!

• Eyes Scheduled Maintenance. Bring up blue light protection and digital device use during your next eye examination. Your eye doctor could provide valuable advice and might even recommend specific lens coatings for your existing glasses.

In a world increasingly digital world it’s tough to avoid blue light. But, you can reduce the potential damage by incorporating a blue-light protection regimen. And it starts with finding the right sunscreen — which hopefully we’ve helped you with today!