Review: SisleYouth’s Latest Moisturiser Protects Against Blue Light Pollution

Say what you will of millennials and our avocado toasts, you’ll have to agree that our current lifestyles are the most hectic they’ve ever been, thanks to an almost innate need to maintain constant connectivity; to our work, our friends, the world. Whether it’s advocating for social injustice on social media, replying to that work email, or just watching mindless videos in bed, you can bet we’re still tapping away on our mobile phones at 1am in the morning, which, incidentally, may not be the best thing for your skin.

If you’d like to start truly #adulting, it’s time to embrace that ironic hashtag and get started on seriously taking care of your skin — in this brave new world, this means challenging your skincare to do better, something that the French beauty brand Sisley Paris has dedicated itself to.

Anti-Ageing Skincare For Millennials

With the realisation that anti-ageing skincare needs to start younger, ideally from age 25, they’ve gone on to develop a millennial-targeted skincare range, SisleYouth, one that now includes its latest moisturiser: the Anti-Pollution Energizing Super Hydrating Youth Protector. We tested how good it is by letting 5 millennials try it out, but more on that later. What you’ll need to know is that on top of its hydrating and anti-ageing benefits, this one goes the extra mile to protect our skin against all kinds of pollution — indoors, outdoors, and yes, blue light.

SisleYouth Anti-Pollution Energizing Super Hydrating Youth Protector

What is ‘Blue Light Pollution’?

Both outdoor and indoor pollution are pretty well-known — in the form of atmospheric pollutants, city smog, or your stale air-conditioned air — but  “blue light pollution” is a relatively newer concept. In short, this refers to the particular wavelength of light, blue, that’s being emitted from LED lighting and electronic screens, particular unhealthy at night since it can affect our body’s sleep cycle. Evolving research has also shown that blue light from our digital devices affects the skin.

According to Sisley’s researchers, excessive exposure can actually accelerate skin ageing, much like UV rays, and “penetrates more deeply than UVA rays, entering all of the skin’s layers and causing oxidative stress to skin cells”. Skin gets dehydrated, and signs of premature ageing occur.

To test this, Sisley even uses an innovative new technology called ‘bluelightbox’, a device that measures how blue light impacts the skin, and no doubt, this helps test the efficacy of SisleYouth’s latest formula too.

Back to our smartphones, the very ones we’re in constant access to, i.e. the mobile or laptop screen you’re reading this from. Don’t turn away just yet though, the fact that technology may pose a threat to our skin simply means we need to know how we can best be defended against it.

SisleYouth Anti-Pollution Energizing Super Hydrating Youth Protector

SisleYouth Anti-Pollution

SisleYouth’s Anti-Pollution moisturiser promises just that, a shield against all kinds of pollution. At its core, the lightweight cream has powerful antioxidants to fight off damaging free radicals, including Organic Buckwheat Seed Extract and a Vitamin E derivative. Along with their star active ingredient, an extract derived from the Gingko Biloba Leaf, these help protect the skin from any oxidative stress that results in unhealthy, stressed skin, which in turn show early signs of ageing including wrinkles or sallow, saggy skin.

Of course, the moisturiser has other benefits as well; particularly, it helps boost tired-looking skin with both a Ginseng and Kiwi Extract, which gives you a refresh complexion that looks like you had a good night’s sleep. It also makes sure your skin’s properly hydrated — which is important for that smooth, supple texture.

To see how well it works, we passed a bottle each to 5 real girls for an unpaid review so you’ll know what to expect. Read on!

REVIEWS

1. Amelia Tan, NYLON Singapore

“I’ve tried my fair share of moisturisers, and am always on the lookout for those that manage to properly hydrate my skin — an effect I can actually feel, that yields results — while also being lightweight at the same time. This one surprised me. It works as both a day cream and a night cream, so I was initially worried it’ll go on thicker than I’m used to for the day; except it’s light as fresh air. Despite how it’s a cream, it melts into this fluid texture that immediately sinks into my skin for a matte finish, completely no tacky residue at all. The texture alone was very convincing, especially when I felt it immediately plumped my skin.

I tested the difference in my skin’s texture by tapping my fingers on my face, and true enough, my skin felt firmer on the area I applied it on. I love using it as a day moisturiser, because the hydration is real throughout the day — despite how weightless it feels — and especially since any makeup that goes on my face after feels smoother, thanks to that matte texture.

I also tried it out for 2 weeks; it might be unrealistic to claim that the product completely transformed my skin, especially since my skin’s always been decent. What I can say though is that it manages to suitably hydrate, in a balanced way such that I haven’t had any breakouts since, while it also calmed some of the smaller blemishes I had before I started on this regime. Another comforting point? That it keeps blue light pollution at bay — or so I’d like to think. It’s not necessarily something you can detect, but it makes me feel better about my skincare, knowing that it offers something else. Plus, this is actually worth a mention: the scent was great too — it was a slight citrus that was energizing and calming all at once, a subtle, luxurious scent that’s befitting of the brand’s range of skincare.”

 

2. Jemimah Wei (@jemmawei)
Jemimah Wei (@jemmawei)

“I have dry skin so cream moisturisers tend to be better for me, advice I tend to diligently ignore in favour of more lightweight gels in Singapore’s humid weather. The Sisley moisturiser is the first cream moisturiser I find myself reaching for night after night, with a formula that isn’t too heavy, and that absorbs mega quick. I’m loving the pump bottle which is really hygienic, and the moisturiser smells amazing, like a fancy spa. I actually look forward to putting it on every evening, especially after deep-sniffing it like some kind of soy candle addict. It hasn’t caused any reaction with my sensitive skin, and I do find my skin upon waking to feel hydrated and happy — though to be fair, I generally have good skin so this isn’t a drastic change from before.

The real decision-making factor seems to be the blue light protection, the next step in sun/dust/pollution protection, which is the main selling point of this moisturiser. Can this really help with blue light protection or is it just a trend? I can’t tell, to be honest, and much like SPF application, I’d probably only find out how effective it really was in retrospect years later. Still, as a moisturiser I’m liking it, and if given the chance, would continue using it.”

 

3. Sahur Saleim (@sahursart)
Sahur Saleim (@sahursart)

“It was nice! Decently hydrating and nice to apply makeup over. I didn’t notice anything extraordinary about it, but a good product overall. The texture of the product is nice, it hydrates and soothes the skin so it works for makeup application. Friendly for sensitive skin too.”

 

4. Hanan S. Helme Al-Johary (@phsha)
Hanan S. Helme Al-Johary (@phsha)

“The perception is that you guys [addressing her IG followers] think I have perfect skin and that little has to be done to maintain the skin condition I have right now, but that’s not the case. A lot of products have been tested on my skin in order to see what fits my skin type.

I’ve been using this one for the past 2 weeks — it really does help, and I see a lot of difference when I use it. You would’ve known and heard that the sun is the no. 1 enemy when it comes to your skin, but another thing that’s just as important to consider is blue light, which harms your skin as well. It adds wrinkles, adds to the dryness and dullness of your skin. Skin dullness is not something you can see through Instagram or videos — you have to be in person to see if someone’s skin is dull or radiant or dewy — but I’ve honestly seen a difference with this product. As for application, I use this before my makeup and just before I go to bed.

What I like about this product is that it smells amazing; I need my product to have some sort of scent so that I’m comfortable sleeping with it and having it on the whole day, so I really swear by this product as it makes my skin less dull-looking and easier to manage. On top of that, I don’t have pimples after using it, so it’s the right amount of hydration for my skin.”

 

5. Christabel Chua (@bellywellyjelly)

“I love how fragrant it is, it feels like an entire spa experience. The gel x cream texture makes it easy to apply and it gets absorbed into the skin quickly. Does not feel sticky or heavy after application and feels a little cooling when applied. Perfect to end the day with.”

 

6. Cheyenne Chesney (@cheyennechesney)

“As someone who is constantly using electronic devices, be it for social media or for work, my skin is constantly exposed to blue light. I have sensitive combination skin, so I was worried that incorporating this product into my routine would cause my skin to break out, but since the first time I used it, I haven’t had any problems with it! It sits well on my skin, doesn’t make my skin oily later on in the day, and sits very well under my sunscreen / makeup. Right when I first used it, I knew this product was going to be a part of my permanent skin routine. The cream has a very good consistency, it isn’t too thick or too thin and can pretty much cover my whole face with 2 pumps. It’s been a few weeks since I started using the product, and I can safely say my skin looks a lot less tired, more hydrated and my complexion has improved.”

 

SisleYouth Anti-Pollution Energizing Super Hydrating Youth Protector, $240 (40ml), available at Sisley Paris counters at Takashimaya Ngee Ann City, Metro Paragon, Robinsons Heeren, Robinsons Raffles City and more. sisley-paris.com