Lightlead photoluminescent materials are non-toxic, non-radioactive and contain no phosphorus or lead, or any other hazardous element or chemical. The term phosphorence is sometimes used to describe luminescence, but Lightlead photoluminescent materials contain no phosphorus.

Lightlead photoluminescent materials differ from reflective materials, which amplify and increase relative brightness when light is applied. Fluorescent materials are quite different from photoluminescent materials. Fluorescent materials (such as the 3M fluorescent work zone film or a "hot pink" tag) actually serve to borrow nearby light energy in nearby wavelengths and concentrate the amount of light returning to the viewer in a certain (for example, day-glo orange) wavelength. Fluorescent films are especially useful in dawn and dusk viewing times, when they appear particularly bright.Lightlead photoluminescent materials require prior exposure to a light source in order to glow in the dark.