If you have a darker or African American skin tone, we are here to provide a few tips and tricks on what skincare ingredients to avoid, what to incorporate, and how to avoid pigmentation to promote an even and healthy glow!

Effective skincare depends on many factors including a person’s skin concerns, conditions, and skin tone. Over the years, I have worked with all types of skin including darker skin tones. It is important to take into account your skin tone when choosing products for your skincare regimen, in order to avoid skin issues and to achieve healthy and happy skin. 

Characteristics of Darker Skin Tones

Remember skincare is never one-size-fits-all and when it comes to skincare it is important to consider all other skin factors as well. For example, African American skin tones can oftentimes have larger sebaceous glands, meaning they are more likely to have combination to oily skin. This means you may not need to moisturize your skin as much, and you may have acne-prone skin. I have, however, treated people with darker skin tones who suffer from dry skin, so there is no definitive skin concern for dark skin. A person’s ideal skincare regimen takes into account all skin characteristics and will be a well-rounded routine that addresses all skincare needs.

Ingredients to be Careful of for Darker Skin Tones

Although most products will work for any skin tone, there are a couple of ingredients you will want to introduce to your skin with caution if you have a darker skin tone. Glycolic acid is a popular and useful AHA (alpha hydroxy acid). It loosens the bond between dead skin cells to effectively exfoliate and is also great for reducing hyperpigmentation. Glycolic acid has the smallest molecular size of any AHA; this allows it to work very quickly. The issue for dark skin tones is that since more melanin is produced dark-skinned individuals have larger melanocytes that are then closely located to the skin's inflammatory cells. If an ingredient causes irritation by working too quickly on the skin it can cause post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH). African American skin can still use glycolic acid but should ease into it by using a lower concentrated product and start by using it every other night at first.  

Another ingredient to be cautious of is benzoyl peroxide for treating acne. Benzoyl peroxide is a very common acne treatment and is extremely effective. However, it is known to cause irritation. When dark skin becomes irritated it is likely to hyperpigment or darken the skin. It is important to allow the skin time to acclimate to benzoyl peroxide to avoid irritation that will cause the pigmentation. Again, dark skin tones should start off at a lower concentration and maybe even less frequent usage. I recommend to all my clients introducing benzoyl peroxide that they start by wearing it only for 15 minutes and then wash off for the first few days and slowly increase the amount of time you wear it on your skin until you can wear it overnight without sensitivity. 

Helpful Ingredients to Look for Darker Skin Tones

Some ingredients that you may want to keep an eye out for if you have a darker skin tone and are struggling with common issues related to having a dark skin tone include brightening ingredients (NOT lightening) such as…

• Niacinamide

• Vitamin C

• Licorice Root

My personal recommendation for an effective exfoliant that is also brightening instead of glycolic acid, is mandelic acid. It has the largest molecular size and therefore penetrates the skin more slowly and is way less likely to cause irritation. If you do tend to have oilier skin another great acid for you to consider is salicylic acid which is a BHA (beta hydroxy acid) and cuts oil within the skin.

No Matter What Your Skin Tone, Always Wear your SPF!

When I say darker skin tones I am referring to Fitzpatrick tones 4-6. Oftentimes deeper skin tones on the Fitzpatrick scale are said to be unable to sunburn. This is not true and I feel it is my duty as a licensed esthetician to stress the importance of wearing SPF on a daily basis. Darker skin tones do have more natural protection from the sun, because of how much melanin is produced. This means if you have a dark skin tone you will not photo-age as quickly as lighter skin tones, but you can still burn and can of course still experience sun damage and skin cancer. Sun protection is always my top recommendation for promoting healthy and youthful-looking skin no matter what the tone of your skin is.

Here at Pomp, we think it is so important to represent and support everyone as equal, yet individual people. Skincare is yet another outlet where we can showcase that we are all human and our skin color really has no influence on who we are or what our skin needs as individuals.