Tennis Star Naomi Osaka is Serving Up Sunscreen; How to Protect Your Skin from Cancer

The U.S. Open winner shared that she’s getting into the sunscreen game, launching an SPF-focused skincare line that caters to people of color, reports trade publication Business of Fashion. Skin cancer is the most commonly diagnosed type of cancer in the U.S., and wearing sunscreen helps prevent it.

BOF writes, that Osaka is the “CEO of Kinló, a new venture launched with Los Angeles-based A-Frame Brands aiming to provide sun and skin protection to underserved, darker-skinned consumers.”

SPF’s from Osaka

Oskasa says she only started wearing sunscreen recently, telling BOF she skipped it for years, due to misconceptions around darker skin tones. "What drew me toward this project is having memories of being a kid and not knowing how to protect my skin…This is a public-health need,” she says. “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 am passionate about that."

Related: Use Sunscreen to Reduce Risk of Melanoma

The company’s name, KINLÃ’, is a nod to her heritage; "kin" means "gold" in Japanese, "ló" means "gold" in Haitian Creole, writes The Cut. The new brand will launch this fall and will include a tinted SPF 40 and a tinted SPF 50, along with lip balms and eye creams.

Related: Rihanna's Stance On Sunscreen in Winter Is Spot On, But Misses an Important Message About the Risk of Skin Cancer

The tennis star has already made her mark on the fashion world, appearing on the cover of Vogue in December, so it makes sense that she’s dipping her toes more fully into a beauty line, too as CEO. Osaka previously served as a beauty ambassador for Shiseido's sunscreen brand and for BareMinerals.

 

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Of the new line, she writes, “I never thought I would ever start my own company, but I’m super excited to announce that I’ll be launching KINLÃ’, a new brand of skincare products developed to protect and rejuvenate melanated skin tones. 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. More coming this Fall.”

 

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How to Protect Your Skin

Wearing sunscreen daily is one of several ways you can continue to protect yourself from skin cancer. Dermatologist Dr. Dendy Engleman says in a previous interview she has five main ways for protecting the skin.

Related: Skin Cancer Made Bachelorette Alum, Ali Fedotowski-Manno, 'Vigilant' About Skin Checks & Sunscreen

Dr. Engleman tells us:

1. Avoid the sun during peak hours. This means from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. It doesn't mean you should never go outside during the middle of the day, but make sure you're protected when you do venture outdoors.
2. Cover your skin and eyes. A wide brim hat and sunglasses will protect your face, the top of your head, your ears and the delicate skin around your eyes.
3. Wear an SPF of 30 or higher. Plenty of facial moisturizers have SPF built into them. Dr. Engelman also recommends reapplying every few hours, or after excessive sweating or swimming.
4. Get an annual skin check. You can check your own skin for anything that looks out of the ordinary, but you should still get a yearly check to make sure you didn't miss anything. If you do happen to notice anything out of the ordinary in between checks, schedule an appointment to talk to your doctor about it ASAP it is always worth it to make sure.
5. Avoid tanning beds. Tanning beds can significantly increase your risk of developing melanoma. If you feel like you're just too pale, Dr. Engelman recommends a sunless tanner. "There's absolutely no benefit to going to a tanning bed," Dr. Engelman says.

Top 5 Ways to Protect Your Skin From Skin Cancer

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