My UV Patch

Discover the interview of Guive Balooch, Global VP of L’Oréal’s Technology Incubator who is in charge of the development of this innovation.

What is My UV Patch and how does it work?
Guive Balooch: The La Roche-Posay My UV Patch is the first-ever stretchable, wearable skin sensor designed to measure an individual’s UV exposure. It’s thinner than a strand of hair, and is designed with a heart filled with various shades of blue and white squares, which contain photosensitive dyes. As the photosensitive dyes within the patch are exposed to UV rays, squares of color will change to indicate varying levels of sun exposure. The consumer can take a photo of the patch and upload it to the My UV Patch app, which analyzes the varying shades of blue and determines the amount of UV exposure the wearer has received. Ultimately, My UV Patch is a tool used to educate consumers on the amount of UV exposure their skin is receiving and provide information on the associated risks.

Why is My UV Patch such a disruptive innovation?
GB: My UV Patch is the first sensor to use photo-oxidated dye that consumers can take a photo of and be analyzed. It’s a totally new and very accurate way of measuring UV, and it’s also the first-ever stretchable electronic in the world that is linked to 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. 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.

What was the biggest challenge to develop My UV Patch?
GB: It was difficult to make a transparent adhesive that was thin and comfortable enough to act as a second skin. That’s exactly where all the innovation comes with this type of technology –so this wearable can adapt to the consumers’ lifestyle and every day activities.

How are beauty and technology intrinsically linked?
GB: Technology is a new way for consumers to experience beauty. We want to develop new beautiful hardware, products, and software that helps people interact with beauty in new ways. Giving consumers the opportunity to wear an electronic device on their body that can measure different data has the potential to change the way they interact with our products and add value to their lives.