LED mask colours: what does each light do?

Why does an LED mask have several colours?

An LED mask offers several colours because each light acts at a different depth in the skin and on different cells. Choosing an LED mask colour therefore means choosing a target: the surface for imperfections, the pigment layer for dark spots, the dermis for firmness and wrinkles.

Behind each colour lies a wavelength, measured in nanometres (a billionth of a metre). It is the wavelength that decides everything. The shorter the wavelength, the sooner the light stops: blue stays on the surface, where bacteria live. The longer it is, the deeper it goes: red reaches the deep dermis, where fibroblasts make collagen. In between, green reaches the basal layer of the epidermis, where pigments are formed, and yellow-orange the superficial dermis.

Not all the light gets in, however. A small part, a few per cent, is reflected by the surface of the skin, and the rest weakens as it goes deeper. This is one of the reasons why serious brands publish the exact colour of their diodes, and not just a colour name: two "reds" with different wavelengths won't go to the same place.

The general principle has a rather technical name, photobiomodulation: certain cells capture light and turn it into energy to renew themselves, produce collagen or calm inflammation. We explain it in more detail in our article on what dermatologists really think. Above all, remember that colour is not about mood lighting: it is the device's main setting.

Red light: what does it do for the face?

Red light is mainly used to maintain firmness, soften fine lines and soothe redness. It is the best-studied colour in humans, and the one found in almost every programme, because it reaches the deep dermis and supports the work of the cells that make collagen.

Published trials point in the same direction. In 2007, a team followed 76 volunteers, half of whose face received red or near-infrared light and the other half a sham light: after a few weeks, wrinkles had receded and the skin had gained elasticity on the treated side. More recently, 137 women saw the volume of their wrinkles around the eye drop by around 30 % after a month of sessions combining red and yellow-orange.

Red also has a more discreet but valuable action: it calms. It is used after an in-clinic treatment, on skin that feels tight or reddens easily. That is why it serves as the "recovery" colour at the end of many programmes, after a more targeted light.

On the LED Therapy Mask, red emits at 630 nanometres and features in all six programmes. The Soothing programme uses it on its own, continuously, for three minutes. If you are particularly interested in this colour, we devote an entire article to it: the benefits of the red LED mask, its results and its precautions.

Yellow-orange light: for radiance and fine lines?

Yellow-orange light targets radiance and fine lines first and foremost. It reaches slightly less deep than red, down to the superficial dermis, where it also stimulates fibroblasts. It is the colour for dull, tired skin that lacks bounce more than deep firmness.

In published studies, it rarely appears on its own: the trial on 137 women mentioned above combined it with red. The tests carried out by Talika on this wavelength give concrete benchmarks. At 590 nanometres, a clinical test on 30 volunteers measured 30 % fewer wrinkles after 28 days, and another, also on 30 volunteers, a 26.7 % increase in skin radiance from the very first application. These are tests carried out on the wavelength, and not on the mask itself: we prefer to make this clear.

On the LED Therapy Mask, yellow-orange is delivered in pulsed mode, meaning it flashes very quickly rather than shining continuously. It opens two programmes: Global Anti-Ageing, for 45 seconds before green and red, and Radiance Boost, for 45 seconds before two and a quarter minutes of red. On the question of pulsed light, let's be honest: research has not settled the matter between pulsed and continuous light, and neither mode has shown clear superiority.

Green light: does it really work on dark spots?

Green light is offered against dark spots, because it reaches the basal layer of the epidermis, where melanocytes make pigment. The evidence in humans remains thin: only one small published study has tested it on the face, in fifteen women, with an encouraging signal.

The test carried out by Talika on this colour points in the same direction: at 525 nanometres, 30 volunteers saw their pigmentation decrease by 30 % in 28 days. It is a useful result, but it doesn't replace the essentials. A dark spot is first and foremost a matter of sun, hormones or inflammation, and no light makes up for a lack of sun protection.

On the mask, green is never used on its own. It takes up one minute in three programmes, Global Anti-Ageing, Dark Spots and Post-Imperfection Marks, always followed by two to three minutes of red. This combination has a logic: green targets the pigment, red supports the regeneration of the surrounding skin.

Blue light: how effective is it on imperfections?

Blue light targets imperfections, and it gives its best results when combined with red. It stays on the surface and acts on the bacterium involved in spots: in the laboratory, it destroys it by exciting the pigments that this bacterium produces itself.

In humans, the picture is more nuanced. Major reviews consider the evidence for blue light used on its own to be weak. On the other hand, the combination of blue and red is more convincing: in 107 people, it reduced inflammatory spots by around three quarters in twelve weeks. Blue dries out the target, red calms the surrounding inflammation.

This is exactly the logic of the LED Therapy Mask's Imperfections programme: three minutes of blue at 440 nanometres, then three minutes of red. In a satisfaction test on 37 volunteers, 78 % found their imperfections less visible after seven days, with this same duo of lights. For an isolated spot, rather than the whole face, the same duo exists in a small format with the Free Skin Booster, which you place for two minutes on the area concerned.

Blue requires a particular precaution: the eyes. The retina is sensitive to blue light, and a case of injury has been published after the use of a blue LED mask without protection. So keep your eyes closed throughout the session, and wear opaque glasses whenever a programme contains blue. We detail these steps in our article LED mask: is it dangerous?

And infrared, the light you can't see?

Infrared extends red beyond what the eye can perceive. It reaches even deeper into the skin, which explains why it is often combined with red in anti-ageing devices. It also transmits more energy, and therefore a little more heat on the skin during the session.

It is not a dangerous light: several trials have used it without any notable side effects, and some specialists consider it rather beneficial at moderate intensity. The question is one of context. Heat is a recognised aggravating factor for melasma, those facial patches encouraged by hormones. Under a silicone mask that covers the whole face for several minutes, limiting heat build-up is therefore a cautious choice.

This is the approach taken by the LED Therapy Mask: four visible colours and no infrared LEDs, so as not to heat up sensitive skin or skin prone to dark spots. Other Talika devices do contain it, on smaller areas and for shorter durations, such as Time Control 7+, where each pass lasts one minute per area.

Which LED mask colour should you choose for your needs?

The right LED mask colour depends on your main goal, and in most cases, a combination of colours is the best answer. Start by naming what bothers you most today, then choose the programme that targets it, rather than switching from one colour to another every evening.

Here are the most common matches, based on the LED Therapy Mask product page:

• for firmness and established wrinkles, red, combined with yellow-orange and green in the Global Anti-Ageing programme;
• for a dull or tired complexion, yellow-orange then red, in the Radiance Boost programme;
• for long-standing dark spots, green then red, in the Dark Spots programme;
• for spots and excess sebum, blue then red, in the Imperfections programme;
• for marks left by old spots, green then red, in the Post-Imperfection Marks programme;
• for skin that reddens or feels tight, red on its own, in the Soothing programme.

One programme a day is enough. If you have two goals, alternate them every other day rather than doing them back to back, and never use the Imperfections and Post-Imperfection Marks programmes, the mask's most intense, on the same day. The recommended rhythm is one session a day during the intensive phase, then one session every two or three days for maintenance.

Colour is not the only criterion for a good device. The power of each light, the length of the sessions and the brand's transparency matter just as much: we review them in our guide to choosing the best LED mask.

The colours of the LED Therapy Mask, programme by programme

The LED Therapy Mask brings together 216 LEDs and four colours, red, yellow-orange, green and blue, automatically combined in six programmes lasting three to six minutes. Each programme runs one to three lights in an order designed for the skin: a targeted colour first, red to finish.

Talika describes this construction in three stages, warm-up, stimulation, recovery, with the idea of delivering just the right dose of light without exhausting the cells. It is based on a principle well described in the laboratory, the bell curve: too little light does nothing, the right dose stimulates, and beyond that the effect wears off. Extending a session therefore brings nothing more, and that is why the device switches off by itself.

In practice, remove your make-up and dry your skin, without sunscreen or skincare based on retinol or high-dose acids just before. Adjust the straps, choose your programme with the remote control, keep your eyes closed. At the end, switch off the remote control before removing the mask, so as not to get the light directly in your eyes. You will find the device and its other skincare tools in our beauty devices range.

A few situations warrant medical advice before you start, whatever the colour: pregnancy, a treatment that makes the skin sensitive to light, an eye disease or light-triggered epilepsy. On olive to dark skin, start with short, spaced-out sessions, then increase gradually if the skin tolerates it.