Oxygen to combat blue light effects : COSSMA

photo: Mila Supinskaya Glashchenko/Shutterstock.com

A complexion full of radiance helps to boost the attractiveness of the face and is a universal criterion of beauty in any part of the world. Radiant skin is synonym with a healthy glow and youthfulness, and has an impact on the way others see us. As a result, since 2014, 25% of new cosmetic products are complexion highlighters.

It is, however, known that a variety of harmful environmental factors can affect skin quality. Among them, blue light appears to be a major contributor. Smartphones, tablets and computers have taken over our daily lives. Since 2006, the average time spent in front of screens has increased by 53% (44% for men, 66% for women), reaching between 6 to 8 hours per day and per person. All these sources of blue light radiate onto our faces. Collateral victims of digital pollution, the dermis and epidermis are damaged by the deep-down penetration of these rays. Damaged and suffocated, the skin loses its suppleness and firmness, and becomes dehydrated. The complexion becomes dull and uneven.

Just as living beings require air to survive, a healthy skin needs a constant supply of oxygen, which is the essential fuel for producing energy in the cells, as the skin is devoid of mechanisms for storing oxygen. Helping the skin to breathe contributes to smoothe the micro-relief so that it diffuses and reflects light better, resulting in a radiant complexion.

Blue light: the enemy of a fresh complexion

It was already demonstrated that, as time passes, the skin receives less and less oxygen. The systems that detect the oxygen level (HIF-1α) and oxygen transport (cytoglobin) become defective1. The metabolism slows down, the skin is suffocated, the complexion becomes dull and the face takes on a grey tone.

However, apart from chronological ageing, new studies show that environmental influences also deteriorate the general state of the skin and result in accelerated ageing2,3, 4. Chronic and intense exposure to blue light radiation is one of them, weakening the skin’s capacity to respond to a lack of oxygen. Indeed, through a novel modelling study, our research has demonstrated for the first time that blue light reduces the skin’s capacity to mobilise the oxygen sensor HIF-1α, indispensable for adaptation to hypoxic stress. As a consequence, digital over-consumption causes free radical stress, the origin of premature skin ageing.

Nasturtium (fig. 1**) is a plant originating in the humid regions of South America. Nowadays, this plant is cultivated for ornamental purposes. The nasturtium has managed to adapt to humid climate by developing a self-cleaning surface strategy. Thanks to the structure of its leaves, it creates a genuine hydrophobic barrier by trapping air bubbles on the surface. This super-hydrophobic property makes the plant able to regulate the exchanges of gas needed for its survival.

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