At the 2016 Consumer Electronics Show - CES - L'Oreal debuted My UV Patch - the first-ever stretchable skin sensor designed to monitor UV exposure.

L'Oreal Group's La Roche-Posay will launch My UV Patch, which is a transparent adhesive. The new peel-and-stick sensor differs from the rigid wearables currently on the market for this purpose, since it stretches and adheres directly to any area of skin that consumers want to monitor.

Guive Balooch, Global Vice President of L'Oreal's Technology Incubator, said, "Connected technologies have the potential to completely disrupt how we monitor the skin's exposure to various external factors, including UV. Previous technologies could only tell users the amount of potential sun exposure they were receiving per hour while wearing a rigid, non-stretchable device."

 

Balooch continues, "The key was to design a sensor that was thin, comfortable and virtually weightless so people would actually want to wear it. We're excited to be the first beauty company entering the stretchable electronics field and to explore the many potential applications for this technology within our industry and beyond."

How It Works

My UV Patch measures approximately one square inch, and is 50 micrometers thick - half the thickness of an average strand of hair. It contains photosensitive dyes that factor in the baseline skin tone and change colors when exposed to UV rays to indicate varying levels of sun exposure.

Consumers will be able to take a photo of the patch and upload it to the La Roche-Posay My UV Patch mobile app, which analyzes the varying photosensitive dye squares to determine the amount of UV exposure the wearer has received.

The My UV Patch mobile app will be available on both iOS and Android, incorporating Near Field Communications (NFC)-enabled technology into the patch-scanning process for Android. My UV Patch is expected to be made available to consumers later this year.

Development

My UV Patch was developed by L'Oreal's U.S.-based Technology Incubator, a business division dedicated entirely to technological innovation, alongside MC10, Inc., a leading stretchable electronics company using cutting-edge innovation to create the most intelligent, stretchable systems for biometric healthcare analytics.

L'Oreal also worked with PCH who design engineered the sensor.

Scott Pomerantz, CEO of MC10, said, "With My UV Patch, L'Oreal is taking the lead in developing the next generation of smart skincare technology powered by MC10's unique, stretchable electronics platform, that truly addresses a consumer need. This partnership with L'Oreal marks an exciting new milestone for MC10 and underscores the intersection of tech and beauty and the boundless potential of connected devices within the beauty market."

The Need

Sun exposure has become a major health issue, with 90% of nonmelanoma skin cancers being associated with exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation from sun* in addition to attributing to skin pigmentation and photoaging.

Alysa Herman, MD, commented, "La Roche-Posay recently commissioned a global study in 23 countries, which surveyed 19,000 women and men and found a huge gap in consumer behavior: even though 92% were aware that unprotected sun exposure can cause health problems, only 26% of Americans protect themselves all year round, whatever the season."

Herman adds, "With the new My UV Patch, for the first time, we are leveraging technology to help incite a true behavioral change through real-time knowledge."

Similar Technologies

Right now there is a small, wearable clip called Sunbeat that measures UV Index, and its app lets you keep track of sun exposure.

There's also a wristband, called the UVeBand, which is integrated with a sensor that measures incoming UV radiation through a small window.

UV Skinz is a line of sun protection clothing and swimwear that provides monitoring of sun exposure and protection. For example, the girls' jacket is made with fabric that offers SPF 50+, and contains a color changing UV detector in its zipper pull.

Upcoming Applications?

Flexible electronics provide a unique way to collect all types of data from the wearer’s skin - and L’Oreal seems to be pioneering this market, in an effort to better undertsand human skin.  

L’Oreal USA’s team has been working with John Rogers, an engineer at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, to develop wearable devices capable of continuously collecting and transmitting all types of data about the skin.

There are sensors that can measure skin hydration, for example. “These devices help researchers look at efficacies of lotions, giving them the ability to make long-lasting improvements in how they hydrate the skin,” Rogers told Popular Science earlier this year.

Photos: Copyright L'Oreal

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Online Exclusive: CES 2016: Technology Meets Beauty