Fringe LED Lights vs LED Home Lights
Not All LEDs Are Created Equal: Why Fringe Red Light Therapy Is Different
Concerns about LED lights have become more common in recent years. You’ve probably seen headlines linking LEDs to eye strain, sleep disruption, or even long-term health effects. Customers sometimes ask us: “If LEDs can be harmful, why are they used in red light therapy devices? Isn’t that a contradiction?”
It’s an excellent question — and the short answer is that the LEDs in your household lighting and the LEDs in a therapeutic device like Fringe’s are very different things.
In this article, we’ll unpack where the concerns about LEDs come from, what makes everyday LED lighting potentially problematic, and why the LEDs in our red light therapy devices are purpose-built to mimic the sun’s most beneficial wavelengths — without the drawbacks.
Why Some People Worry About LEDs
LEDs (light-emitting diodes) have replaced incandescent and fluorescent bulbs in most homes. They’re efficient, bright, long-lasting, and inexpensive. But their convenience comes with trade-offs.
Most LED bulbs are engineered for efficiency and brightness, not for biological compatibility. That means they often have features very different from natural sunlight, such as:
• A sharp blue light peak — Most white LEDs produce light by combining a blue diode with a yellow phosphor coating. This results in a spectrum with an overemphasis on short-wavelength “blue” light and very little in the red/orange range.
• Suppressed warm wavelengths — Unlike sunlight, which delivers a balanced blend of blue, green, yellow, red, and infrared, household LEDs tend to strip out red and orange light.
• Flicker — Many LEDs are driven by inexpensive electronic circuits that pulse on and off rapidly. Even if you can’t consciously see it, flicker can contribute to eyestrain, headaches, and fatigue for some people.
• Timing — People often use LED lighting at night, when exposure to blue light can suppress melatonin and interfere with sleep.
When people talk about the “harmful effects of LEDs,” they’re usually referring to these characteristics — not to the technology of LEDs themselves.
LEDs as a Technology: Neutral by Nature
It’s important to note that an LED is just a light source. The safety and biological impact of an LED depends entirely on:
• The wavelength of light it emits
• The intensity (brightness and power density)
• The flicker profile
• The exposure context (e.g., daytime vs. nighttime use)
In other words, an LED can be designed to emit biologically disruptive light — or it can be designed to emit biologically restorative light. At Fringe, we’ve chosen the latter.
How Fringe LEDs Are Different
Here’s what sets our LEDs apart from everyday lighting:
1. Therapeutic Wavelengths
Our devices use only red and near-infrared light (630–850 nm) — except for two specific products, our Face Mask and Pelvic Wand, which also include blue light for its antimicrobial effects. The blue light we use is the same spectrum naturally present in sunlight, not the sharp artificial peak found in most household LEDs.
Red and near-infrared wavelengths are the most studied for their ability to support cellular energy production, reduce oxidative stress, and promote tissue repair. They are also the very wavelengths missing from most household LEDs.
2. Flicker-Free Output
We engineer our devices to deliver continuous, flicker-free light. That means your nervous system and visual system are never exposed to the micro-pulses that are so common in standard LED bulbs. Instead, you get a steady, soothing beam that your body can absorb comfortably.
3. Sunlight-Mimicking Intensity
Intensity matters. Too much light can cause stress; too little won’t have an effect. Our LEDs are calibrated to deliver light power densities similar to what you’d naturally experience from the sun’s red, infrared, and blue output — strong enough to activate cellular pathways, but well below levels that could cause harm.
Unlike overhead LEDs, which are designed to flood a room with bright blue-weighted light, our devices are designed to deliver safe, targeted doses of therapeutic light to your skin and tissues.
4. Purpose-Built Design
Household LEDs are built for visibility and efficiency. Fringe LEDs are built for healing and restoration. That means every choice — from spectrum, to driver circuits, to optical design — is optimized for therapeutic benefit.
The Science of Red, Near-Infrared, and Blue Light
So why focus on these parts of the spectrum?
Decades of research on red light therapy show that red and near-infrared wavelengths:
• Stimulate cytochrome c oxidase in mitochondria, enhancing cellular energy production.
• Release nitric oxide, improving circulation and oxygen delivery.
• Reduce oxidative stress and balance reactive oxygen species.
• Support collagen synthesis, wound healing, and tissue repair.
• Modulate inflammation in skin, muscles, and joints.
Meanwhile, blue light in the right range (like the natural spectrum from the sun) has important antimicrobial properties, making it beneficial in targeted applications for skin health and pelvic health.
What about blue light?
It’s worth emphasizing that blue light itself is not inherently bad. In the right context, during the day, blue light helps regulate circadian rhythms and alertness. The problem is when blue light is isolated, overemphasized, and delivered without balancing red and infrared — especially in the evening.
That’s exactly the issue with most LED household bulbs: too much blue, not enough red/orange, and the wrong timing of exposure. Our devices avoid this completely by focusing on red and near-infrared light, with blue light only included where it serves a therapeutic, antimicrobial purpose.
Why Fringe Customers Can Feel Confident
When you use a Fringe red light therapy device, you’re not exposing yourself to the same type of light that comes from a desk lamp or ceiling fixture. You’re bathing your cells in the same healing wavelengths the sun has always provided — without the ultraviolet rays that can burn or age skin.
Here’s the bottom line:
• Everyday LEDs → bright, blue-heavy, flickering, often disruptive.
• Fringe LEDs → red + near-infrared (and selective, therapeutic blue), flicker-free, designed for safe therapeutic use.
Not all LEDs are created equal. Our mission is to deliver light that supports, rather than undermines, your health.
Final Thoughts
It’s understandable that people are skeptical about LEDs. After all, artificial light exposure has skyrocketed in the past century, and most of it is very different from the balanced spectrum of natural sunlight.
But the LEDs used in red light therapy are not the problem — in fact, they are part of the solution. By recreating the sun’s most beneficial wavelengths, we can help offset some of the imbalances created by modern lighting environments.
So the next time you hear someone ask, “Aren’t LEDs harmful?” you’ll know the truth: it’s not about the LED itself — it’s about the light it produces. And at Fringe, we make sure that light is as close to nature’s design as possible.
about the author
Dr. Genevieve Newton, DC, PhD spent close to 20 years as a researcher and educator in the field of nutritional sciences before joining Fringe as its Scientific Director. Gen’s job is to “bring the science” that supports Fringe’s products and education. She is passionate about all things Fringe, and is a deep believer in healing body, mind and spirit using the gifts of the natural world.
The contents in this blog; such as text, content, graphics are intended for educational purposes only. The Content is not intended to substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your healthcare provider.
