Naomi Osaka Is Launching a Skincare Brand Made for Melanated Skin

Tennis phenom Naomi Osaka is adding yet another accomplishment to her already impressive resume. Earlier this week, she took to Instagram to announce the launch of her new skincare brand KINLÒ skin. Pulling the name from her Haitian and Japanese heritage, the brand was made for people with melanated skin tones and will offer sun protection and restorative products.

“I’m super excited to announce my new skincare line which is full of products to help protect and rejuvenate people of color/darker skin tones,” She said in an Instagram post, “I hope these products will help people out and inform your guys.” From what we've heard so far, we're pretty excited too.

Naomi has already shared the beauty routine that keeps her skin healthy, which is necessary considering the amount of time she spends in the sun and on the court. But, there was one thing she was always missing. As she shared with Business of Fashion, the star athlete only recently started wearing sunscreen because she thought she didn't need it. This lack of education surrounding the need for SPF, regardless of skin tone, was a driving factor in starting KINLÒ.

“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’m passionate about that.” Naomi’s always been vocal and passionate about issues that affect people of color and Black and Asian communities. Even if you weren’t tuned into the 2020 US Open, you probably saw her seven masks honoring and highlighting victims of police brutality and racial profiling. 

Despite these myths, sun protection is essential for all skin tones. Besides being beneficial for anti-aging and skin protection in general, sunscreen is a crucial factor in preventing skin cancer. People with darker skin tones may be less likely to sunburn or get sun damage, but there's still a risk for skin cancer. "Although skin cancer is less common in darker skin tones, it tends to be diagnosed at later stages with worse clinical outcomes." Dr. Eylse Love, MD, shared with Byrdie.

However, sun protection products haven't always been dark-skin friendly despite the need for them. Often people with deeper skin tones will find themselves with a white cast after applying (and reapplying) the necessary amount. It's a struggle many know all too well. KINLÒ Skin's solution is a tinted sunscreen with SPF 40 to offset the white cast common with sun protection. There will also be an active sunscreen SPF 50 that works while you do. If it's good enough for a tennis champ, it's good enough for us.

The brand will also offer restoring and recovery products for the face and body, and we're excitedly awaiting more details. KINLÒ Skin will be officially launching in the fall. Until then, watch this space.