LED Light Therapy Colours: What Red, Blue, Green, Yellow and Purple Do

LED light therapy colours are different wavelengths of light, and each reaches a different depth of skin. Red (about 620 to 700 nm) and near-infrared (about 800 to 1100 nm) have the most evidence, for fine lines, skin texture and recovery. Blue (about 400 to 470 nm) is the acne colour. Yellow or amber (about 590 nm) has a smaller, mixed set of trials for skin ageing and for redness after procedures. Green is studied mainly for migraine, by looking at it, with one small skin study so far. Purple, cyan and white on a seven-colour mask are mostly mixtures of the other colours, with no trials of their own. The deepest-reaching light of all, near-infrared, never appears on a colour chart, because you cannot see it. Below is a chart with the evidence for each colour, then the detail.

What does each LED light therapy colour do?

Red and near-infrared for ageing skin and recovery, blue for acne, amber for surface redness and tone. The rest have little or nothing behind them yet.

The depths for blue, yellow, red and near-infrared come from a dermatology review of LEDs; green and cyan sit between blue and yellow. Review. The clearest picture of which colours have been tested comes from a 2018 systematic review of 31 randomised trials of LEDs in dermatology: every one of them used blue, red, near-infrared or yellow light. None tested green, cyan, purple or white as the treatment. Acne, cold sores and shingles, and healing after procedures received its highest grade. Review.

What does red light do?

Red light reaches the dermis, where collagen is made, and it is the colour with the most skin trials behind it.

In a double-blind, sham-controlled trial of 76 people, 633 nm red and 830 nm near-infrared light twice a week for four weeks reduced wrinkles by up to 36% and raised elasticity by up to 19% compared with before treatment. Study. Red light therapy benefits covers the rest, and do red light masks work has the trials done on masks.

What does near-infrared do, and why is it not on the chart?

Near-infrared goes deepest, 5 to 10 mm, and it is left off colour charts because it is invisible.

A seven-colour chart lists what the eye can see. Near-infrared sits just beyond red, so a device running it looks dim or dark even when it is working. It is the part of the spectrum used in the muscle and joint studies, which red light therapy for pain and inflammation covers, and it is paired with red in many of the skin trials. 660 nm vs 850 nm explains how the two differ.

What does blue light do?

Blue light acts on the surface, on the bacteria involved in acne. It is not the colour for wrinkles.

The American Academy of Dermatology says blue, red, and blue-plus-red light devices can treat pimples, and that they do not work on cysts or nodules. AAD. Blue also carries the two cautions worth knowing: it can darken medium and darker skin, and in the evening it tells the body clock it is daytime. Blue light therapy covers all of this.

What does green light therapy do?

The research on green light is mostly about migraine and pain, with the light viewed by the eyes in a dark room. For skin there is one small study so far.

Researchers found that green light aggravated migraine less than white, blue, amber or red light during an attack. Study. At the University of Arizona, 29 people with migraine sat with a green LED strip for one to two hours a day for ten weeks; headache days fell from 7.9 to 2.4 a month in episodic migraine and from 22.3 to 9.4 in chronic migraine. Study. A 2026 systematic review of 13 studies found most favoured green light for pain, but judged the evidence too weak to be sure. Review. That is light for the eyes, not the skin, and a face mask does not deliver it.

For skin, a 2025 study had 15 healthy women use 505 nm green LEDs on one side of the face for 10 minutes, six days a week, for eight weeks. The treated side ended with lower melanin readings and fewer spots than the untreated side. Study. It is a promising start, in 15 people without a pigment condition. We found no trial of green LEDs in people with melasma, and none behind the "calms redness" claims on colour charts. Neither Kivorla device has green light.

What does yellow or amber light therapy do?

Amber light, around 590 nm, stays in the upper skin and has been studied for skin ageing and for calming redness after procedures. The results are mixed.

On the positive side, a split-face trial of 137 women gave red 660 nm to one side and amber 590 nm to the other, ten sessions over four weeks: wrinkle volume around the eyes fell by 31.6% with red and 29.9% with amber. Study. An earlier study of 90 people found reduced signs of sun damage in 90% after eight sessions of pulsed 590 nm light, without a comparison group. Study. And in 20 people treated on half the face straight after fractional laser, the amber side was less red a day later. Study. Other trials of amber light have found no effect, so treat it as a supporting colour, not the main one. We found no trial behind the "lymphatic drainage" and "detox" claims attached to yellow on many charts.

What does purple light therapy do?

Purple on an LED mask is usually red and blue switched on together, so its evidence is the red-plus-blue acne research.

That research is solid. In a trial of 107 people, a mix of 415 nm blue and 660 nm red light for 15 minutes a day cut inflamed acne spots by 76% over 12 weeks. Study. A double-blind home trial of 420 nm with 660 nm found a 77% fall in inflamed spots at 12 weeks, with no change in the sham group. Study. So purple is a sensible acne setting. We found no trial behind the claims that it is a special colour for "hormonal" skin or scarring.

What do cyan and white light do?

Nothing that has been shown. On many masks cyan is blue and green together, white is every colour at once, and neither has skin trials of its own.

In the studies where white light appears, it is the comparison arm: in the acne trial above, cool white light did worse than the blue-red mix, and in the migraine study white was the control. Chart claims that white "penetrates deepest" are wrong; that is near-infrared.

Which LED colour is best for wrinkles, acne and redness?

Red with near-infrared for wrinkles, blue with red for acne, and amber or near-infrared for redness after a procedure.

Can you use several colours in one session?

Yes. Many of the trials combined colours, such as red with near-infrared or red with blue.

What matters is the total time and dose, not the number of colours. Follow the device's own limits, and keep blue for the daytime. Red light therapy: morning or night explains the timing.

Which colours do Kivorla devices have?

Red, near-infrared and blue on the mask, and the same plus amber on the panel. The acne trials used 415 to 445 nm blue; ours are 460 and 480 nm.

The 4-Wavelength Red Light Therapy Mask has two modes: red with near-infrared, and blue with near-infrared. The 9-Spectrum Red Light Therapy Panel dims each of its nine wavelengths separately from 1 to 100%, so you can run red and near-infrared alone, add amber, or switch the blue off in the evening. Neither device has green, cyan or white light.

Read the precautions before ordering, since returns are accepted within 30 days, less a 10% restocking fee if the device is unopened with its seals intact, or 20% if it is opened but undamaged and complete. Standard shipping to the US, UK and Germany is free.

Kivorla devices are general wellness devices, not medical devices, and are not a treatment for acne, migraine, melasma or any condition. If you have a skin condition or take medication that makes you sensitive to light, speak to a doctor first.