Protection against blue light: 80% women eyeing skincare products

NEW DELHI: Pilgrim, an innovative, homegrown D2C beauty & personal care brand that offers native beauty traditions from around the world at the doorstep of consumers has revealed interesting stats on growing awareness about skin damage from blue light from electronics. According to the latest survey conducted by the brand, 76% of people spend more than 3 hours in front of their laptops and smartphone screens. Devices like laptop screens, cell phones and flat-screen televisions are LED enabled and emit High Energy Visible (HEV) light.

Multiple researches have shown that blue light causes significant harm to the skin and eyes. This High Energy Visible light can induce pigmentation, an indication of skin damage and ROS. Some of its visible effects are redness, wrinkles and face swelling. Alongside, blue light can also activate genes associated with inflammation and photoaging. This can be triggered by exposure for as little as 60 minutes. The blue light also impacts us indirectly. It suppresses the production of melatonin - a chemical essential for healthy sleep.

According to the survey, 74.8% of people, largely belonging to tier 1 cities - Delhi, Bangalore and Ahmedabad are aware of the skin damage caused by blue light. An alarming 41.9% of respondents are already observing these effects in one form or the other. Another interesting insight from the survey was that around 80% women believe skincare products can help protect from damage and sunscreen is the most commonly used product for the same.

Talking about the insights, Gagandeep Makkar, Co-founder & COO, Pilgrim said, “Pandemic has drastically changed user behavior. Today, we are spending elongated hours in front of screens and subsequently exposing our skin and eyes to possible damage. Prolonged exposure to blue light causes damage to skin cells, impedes the skin barrier function, and may lead to premature aging, much like UV rays do. Although the new-age consumers are becoming more aware, the survey made us realize there’s still a need for spreading awareness. 1 in every 4 people are still not aware of the impact of blue light.”

The brand recently expanded its Korean beauty range and launched sunscreen serums, a hybrid of sunscreen, and an actives-rich serum. This is in cue with the trend of Korean beauty sunscreens that focus on serious skincare benefits, along with protection from the damage caused due to blue light by digital devices. The newly-introduced sunscreen serums have quickly risen to the brand's top 10 bestseller list, contributing 2.5% to the total revenue share in 2 months and with major demand coming in from the metros. Pilgrim has launched three international ranges comprising 70 SKUs since its launch in May 2020 and has already achieved an Annualised Run Rate of 90 crores INR. The beauty brand plans to achieve an Annualized Run Rate of 150 crores INR by December 2022 with an NPS of 30+ across all ranges.