World's first stretchable electronic UV monitor from L'Oreal

Beauty giant L'Oreal, through its dermatological care brand La Roche-Posay, introduced recently a ground-breaking stretchable electronic sensor that measures the skin's exposure to UV rays.

Called My UV Patch, the heart-shaped patch adopts a transparent adhesive that stretches and sticks directly to the area that users want to monitor. It measures about 1 square inch and is thinner than an average hair strand. To indicate the different levels of UV exposure, the wearable contains photosensitive dyes that changes colors when exposed to the sun.

By snapping a photo of the patch and uploading it to an accompanying iPhone app, users will be able to determine the amount of UV exposure via easy-to-understand graphs. It can also tell if the wearer has had enough sun exposure for the day. An Android app, which is currently being developed, will utilize NFC-enabled technology to connect and gather data, thus, eliminating the need for picture-taking.

L'Oreal collaborated with US-based technological innovations firm Technology Incubator and digital healthcare company MC10 in developing the medical-grade adhesive while custom solutions provider PCH designed the sensor.

My UV Patch will be available this year in in 15 different countries, including the US and the UK. Aiming to increase awareness on the importance of sun protection among consumers, the France-based beauty company plans to distribute the UV monitors for free.

View a comparison table of personal UV monitor suppliers on GlobalSources.com