Naomi Osaka Really Wants You To Wear Sunscreen

It seems there is a new celebrity beauty brand launch every week. In the month of September alone, model Rosie Huntington-Whiteley launched beauty brand Rose Inc., ‘90s icon Jennifer Aniston announced the debut of her beauty brand LolaVie, and now tennis superstar and mental health advocate Naomi Osaka is the latest star to join the beauty game. On September 7 Osaka announced the launch of her new and first beauty brand, Kinlò — a functional skin care brand formulated specifically for melanated skin tones.

Considering the fascination surrounding Osaka’s glowing skin amidst the stress and pressure of being a world-class tennis champion, the skin care brand is aptly due. Keeping with her passion for mental health awareness and social justice issues, Kinlò is a social-impact first brand. As a woman of color, born to a Haitian father and a Japanese mother, it is important to Osaka that her brand have a deeper impact beyond skin care. Through the label, Osaka will raise awareness about the skin cancer mortality rate within the Black community and amplify the conversation on accessible sun care products for darker skin tones.

The initial product offering of the brand is impressive, featuring four vegan and cruelty-free products and ranging from $6 to $20 — not to mention all the products are also free from chemical sunscreens, parabens, gluten, phthalates, and fragrance, making them perfect for sensitive skin. The Golden Rays Sunscreen is a non-comedogenic tinted SPF 50+ cream, formulated to protect and nourish with antioxidants and extra hydration with up to 80 minutes of water resistance. The Hydrating Eye Cream (which is already sold out, so you know it’s good) is a rich, yet lightweight cream that soothes and rejuvenates the under-eye area and lids after sun exposure daily and nightly. Organic jojoba and hemp seed oils, terminalia arjuna bark, red marine algae, and aloe vera work together to calm any irritation in those sensitive areas after some time in the sun. Finally, the Golden Mist and Lip Balm are perfect for refreshing your skin with moisture throughout the day. The mist is dual-usage and can be used as an instant skin refresher, cooler, and quencher for sun-drenched skin, while also adding a perfect scent to any space via its coconut and orange aroma.

When developing its first line of products, Kinlò partnered with Dr. Naana Boakye, a Black female dermatologist who specializes in the treatment of melanated skin, to better understand the common myths and misconceptions about caring for this skin type and the unmet needs lacking in other skin care products.

Osaka wants to change the skin care narrative and bring skin cancer awareness to communities of color. “The sun has the same damaging effect on melanated skin as it does on fairer skin, and the mortality rate for Black Americans with melanoma is actually three times higher than that of white Americans because it is generally detected at a more advanced stage,” the brand says in a press email. “KINLÒ has created a mineral sunscreen designed for people of color with no white cast and perfect blending.”

Kinlò’s entire lineup of skin-loving, protective and nourishing products can be purchased exclusively on the brand’s website. See below for a first look at the products.

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