HomeDIY SkincareThe Best Tips From 4 Black Beauty Experts

The Best Tips From 4 Black Beauty Experts

While Black History Month comes around every February, here at Dermstore, we believe in celebrating the contributions of Black beauty experts year-round. Read on to meet a few of the pros whose tips have shaped our beauty routines for the better.

The Chemist: Ron Robinson

Before launching his groundbreaking skin care line, BeautyStat Cosmetics, veteran cosmetic chemist Ron Robinson formulated products for industry heavy hitters including Clinique, L’Oréal and Avon.

His best advice to skin care shoppers? Prioritize hydration. Even though actives like retinol and vitamin C get all the buzz, don’t underestimate the power of simple moisturizing ingredients to transform your skin, Robinson says:

“Many consumers take for granted the importance of hydration, especially as it relates to rebuilding their moisture barrier. Ingredients like ceramides, hyaluronic acid and squalane should be staples in people’s regimens as these ingredients help them better retain moisture (by repairing the skin barrier), which is ultimately how we can maintain healthy skin.”

The Esthetician: Aliesh Pierce

Licensed esthetician, makeup artist and educator Aliesh Pierce wrote the book on caring for skin of all ethnicities—literally. As the author of Treating Diverse Pigmentation, a textbook for estheticians, Pierce has established herself as a go-to expert on multi-ethnic approaches to skin care. And before dedicating her time to aesthetics, she was a makeup artist to figures like India.Arie, Ming Na Wen and the Obama family.

Her number one tip: Be gentle with melanin-rich skin, rather than fighting against pigmentation concerns with harsh treatments.

“[M]elanin is really our skin’s best friend. Its job is to protect the DNA inside the nucleus of the cell. […] I call skin of African descent ‘reactive’ skin. It’s reactive to injury and to UV radiation, and because of our geographical place of origin, it was created to be über-protective.

So, we want to be kind and gentle to our friend melanin. Rather than fighting unwanted pigmentation with lunchtime chemical peels and overuse of hydroquinone, approach it from a loving, nurturing point of view. It’s just trying to protect you, so it’s not like we have to zap it, burn it off or scrub it off. Instead, we can gently teach those cells, retrain those cells to respond differently. And if we understand that, we can consciously avoid causing an adverse reaction.”

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