Professional tennis player and champion Naomi Osaka is reportedly set to launch a skincare line this autumn, which is specialised for melanated i.e. darker skin tones. The skincare line, Kinló, will include various skin and sun care products specialised for people with high melatonin levels in their skin.
Osaka, who is half Japanese and half Haitian, admitting in a statement to the Business of Fashion about her lack of sun protection awareness said, “I only started wearing sunscreen recently.” The sports champion is one of many who are either underserved when it comes to beauty products or sometimes unaware of the need for suncare despite high levels of melanin.
The skincare line will include tinted sun-protective face lotions, body sprays, recovered eye cream and lip balms specially formulated for people with higher melanin levels in their skin. The sun care products are also said to provide UV light protection and will give white residues a miss, bridging a huge gap specifically in the availability of sun care for people of colour.
Osaka has partnered with A-Frame Brands, a Los Angeles-based platform for her skincare line. Other investors in the venture are Osaka’s talent agency, Endeavor, tennis great and Osaka mentor Billie Jean King and venture capital firm Initialized Capital.
The tennis player, who is also a civil rights advocate, told Business of Fashion in a statement, “For me, this project is something that requires more than just being a spokesperson. This is a public health need,” pointing towards the high percentage of black Americans that die from melanoma, a form of skin cancer, every year as compared to white Americans. “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,” she continued.
Image Source: Twitter/Kenmckinnon9