Photo Credit: ShutterstockNot only is Naomi Osaka a queen on the court — after all, she is ranked No. 2 in the world, according to the Women’s Tennis Association — and the co-designer of an upcoming swimwear collection with Frankies Bikinis, but she’s now set to conquer another playing field: skincare.
The tennis champion recently announced on her Instagram the launch of KINLÒ, which is her new skincare line aimed at protecting and rejuvenating melanated skin tones. In an interview with Business of Fashion (BoF), Osaka shared how the brand’s name honors her bicultural heritage given it combines the word “gold” in both the Japanese (“kin”) and Haitian Creole (“ló”) languages.
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Through the line, Osaka hopes to garner more awareness for protecting darker skin and offering more sun-protection products for people of color. “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,” she wrote in the caption of her Instagram announcement. According to a study conducted by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, non-Hispanic Blacks are less likely to survive melanoma (a type of skin cancer) compared to their non-Hispanic white counterparts. In other words, while sun protection is important for everyone, it appears darker skin is more susceptible to these types of potential skin concerns.
That said, BoF also reported that Osaka and the KINLÒ team wanted to address the needs of the underserved Black sunscreen users by partnering with Dr. Naana Boakye, MD, a dermatologist with experience treating darker, melanin-rich skin tones.
While we can’t expect any products until fall 2021, BoF reported that KINLÒ will start with the launch of five products: a tinted face lotion with SPF 40, a tinted face lotion with SPF 50 that’s meant for activity, a body spray, lip balm, and eye cream. Not to mention, the entire line will be priced under $20. If that isn’t a reason to #STAYGOLDEN (the hashtag that Osaka has linked with the new skincare brand), then check out KINLÒ for yourself and remain updated at kinlo.com.
