L’Oreal’s Smart Skincare Patch Could Protect You from UV Rays
From anti-sunburn bracelets to apps that protect you from the sun, tech has offered up, well, almost everything under the sun to help us curb our addiction to that radiant orb in the sky. Now the beauty industry is joining the tech community to promote safe sun habits in a hassle-free way. L’Oreal’s new skincare patch, aptly called “My UV Patch,” monitors your sun exposure so you can soak up the sun without soaking up harmful UV radiation linked with photoaging and skin cancer.
The My UV Patch was unveiled at CES last week after L’Oreal’s own consumer insight research into growing concerns about UV exposure. “The issue is not when to reapply, the issue is how much exposure do I have,” said Guive Balooch, Vice President of L’Oreal’s Technology Incubator, which developed the skincare patch in partnership with the electronics firm MC10. To address this unserved need, the team of scientists and researchers devised a skincare sensor in the guise of a non-intrusive, stretchable adhesive patch that resembles a heart-shaped band-aid. The patch can be applied directly to any area of the skin, like on the back of the hand, for example.
Unlike any band-aid you’ve seen, however, the My UV Patch contains photosensitive dyes that change color when exposed to UV rays. While these photosensitive dyes can’t in and of themselves give you your precise sun exposure levels, once you take a photo of the patch on your smartphone and upload it to the free companion mobile app, the app will analyze the photosensitive dye squares and give you an accurate reading of UV exposure. With the help of My UV Patch, you’ll know when it’s time to up your sun protection game so that you can preventatively apply sunscreen or hit the shade.
According to L’Oreal, the patch is expected to launch later this year for an undisclosed price. We can’t wait to get our hands on the My UV Patch (and it on our hands)!
How do you protect yourself from the sun while getting that sun-kissed look? Tweet us @BritandCo!
(h/t Huewire; photo via L’Oreal)
