Naomi Osaka wants skincare for all shades of melanin!
According to Face2Face Africa, the tennis superstar is marking her territory in the skincare industry with a new line, KINLÒ, specifically made with our beautiful skin hues in mind.
Like many others blessed with melanin, Osaka has found it difficult to find products that work for her skin. It was this that led her to launch not only a skincare line that gets the job done but one that is easy on the pockets for consumers as well.
For years, there’s been a stigma that Black people don’t have to worry about protecting their skin. Thankfully, that’s a thing of the past and Osaka is taking everyone with her to a healthier skin regimen.
She even admits that it wasn’t until recently that she even learned how to properly wear sunscreen.
“What drew me towards this project is having memories of being a kid and not knowing how to protect my skin,” said Osaka in an interview with Business of Fashion. “I only started wearing sunscreen recently.”
“This is a public health need,” she continued. “I used to tell people that I didn’t need to wear sunscreen — but even if you have melanin, you need to take care of your skin, and I am passionate about that.”
The line was specially designed with the help of Ghanaian-born dermatologist Dr. Naana Boakye and can be worn by everyone, even athletes as it protects the skin at all times.
Dr. Boakye is the CEO and co-founder of Karité, a shea butter business launched by her and her two sisters.
Dr. Boakye’s specialty is catering to the skin’s overall health and appearance. According to her website, she loves to come up with products backed with scientifically proven ingredients that not only nurture the skin but make sure it’s as healthy as possible.
Products from the KINLÒ line include body spray, eye cream, lip balm, and an SPF 50 tinted face lotion and sunscreen.
“I hope these products can help a lot of people and potentially save lives because I really feel that we aren’t protecting ourselves as much as we could,” wrote the three-time Grand Slam winner in an Instagram post.
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The necessity for Black Americans to protect their skin is imperative as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that nearly 33 percent of Black Americans diagnosed with melanoma, a type of skin cancer, die in the United States, reports Face2Face Africa.
