Episode 9: Black Skin, Brown Skin & The Skincare Advice We Keep Getting Wrong

A lot of skincare advice wasn’t written with every skin tone in mind. We unpack why melanin-rich skin reacts differently to trauma, the tyrosinase inhibitors that actually fade a dark mark safely, and why "I don't burn" is one of the most dangerous myths in skincare. Darker skin isn’t a problem to solve. It needs advice that actually makes sense.

Show notes

Decades of dermatology research centred on the lighter end of the Fitzpatrick scale — melanin-rich skin was treated as an afterthought, not the baseline
Melanocytes in darker skin are larger, denser and more reactive, so a harsh exfoliant calibrated for lighter skin can trigger more pigment, not less — and physical scrubbing makes it worse
Tyrosinase inhibitors (alpha arbutin, licorice root extract, tranexamic acid) fade a dark mark safely by blocking pigment production at the source — and it still takes weeks, not the "seven days" promised on the label