AresimpleUnpleasant tell when a makeup line is not inclusive. With one look at the color range you will know who is prioritizing the brand. Skin care, however, is a little sneakier. For example, if you’re looking for a dark spot treatment at Sephora, many of the products seem to be made for everyone, but the labels don’t always tell the full story.
Sabrina Elba, who launched the skin care line S’Able Labs discovered this dirty little secret together with her husband Idris during the development of her products. “When people say they tested on a diverse group of people, that’s usually not the case,” says Elba, a model and activist. “When we approached external groups to do testing for us, the companies came back and said they had a diverse group. But when we asked for photos, their idea of diverse didn’t come close to ours.”
S’Able Labs leaders insisted on testing an equal number of people in all six categories on the Fitzpatrick scale, a widely used skin type classification system based on the amount of melanin in the skin – and Elba tells us that’s not the case. the norm.
“I’m afraid people will rely on companies to test [on all skin tones], but that is not the case,” she says. “A really quick way to tell is to try an invisible sunscreen and then tell me if it was invisible for your skin type.” As a dark-skinned woman and experienced beauty writer, I don’t need to take on the challenge to know she’s right.
Elba, who is now both a trained esthetician and a beauty founder, wants to lead by example. S’Able Labs, which officially launched in 2022, focuses on treating hyperpigmentation, an area where she says “brands have massively missed the mark.”
Her own past skin problems were an eye-opener, as she faced the disappointment of products that didn’t work or made her skin worse.
“I fell into a cycle of hyperpigmentation when I developed adult acne,” she says. “I was equipped with knowledge, and I also had money to spend on expensive products. But I wondered: ‘Why is my place still there after a year? Why does my skin barrier feel so damaged?’”
Elba felt that hyperpigmentation was seen as a problem that only affects a small target group, and therefore brands have not done enough development and research on it. She believed there had to be a way to treat the problem without creating more problems.
And because the ancestors never abandon us, her team looked for ingredients from East, West and Southern Africa that have historically been used to inhibit the melanin production that causes hyperpigmentation. These include qasil (a nod to Elba’s Somali roots) and rooibos, as well as antioxidants such as okra, black seed and baobab. The formulas avoid ingredients known to be potentially irritating or drying, or known to cause inflammation, which can cause skin discoloration.
Elba’s mission is not just about helping dark-skinned people achieve complexion perfection. She also tries to convey an important message to shoppers And the industry: Melanin-inclusive skin care products benefit everyone. It’s a simple concept, but the questions Elba receives prove that it’s not easy for everyone to understand.
“The most common question I get is, ‘I’m not black – can I use your line on my skin?’” she says.
The answer is a resounding yes. But in a world where segregation in beauty, at department store counters and in advertising has long been the norm, it will take some time for her message – that centering darker skin tones does not mean excluding lighter skin tones – penetrates.
A broader shift to inclusive skin care also requires buy-in from mainstream brands and retailers. And Elba hopes more brands will have a light bulb moment soon.
“I think inclusive skin care should be the standard. If you haven’t thought of that in five years [tweaking your products] If you get a bigger catch group, I don’t understand the long game for these brands,” she says. “There are black dollars there and you are missing out.”
Her advice and her vision, like her skin, couldn’t be clearer.
