The champion tennis player, Naomi Osaka has announced the launched of Kilo, an SPF designed to protect skin tones with more melanin.
The Japanese-born athlete, who recently starred in Louis Vuitton’s SS21 campaign, is currently ranked world number one by the Women’s Tennis Association and the current champion at the US Open. Yet, despite spending day upon day in the unforgiving sun of the courts, she didn’t realize she needed to wear SPF. When competing on outdoor courts, the reigning US Open Singles titleholder often wears her signature black Nike visor.
The Sun is an occupational hazard. She told Business of Fashion, “What drew me towards this project is having memories of being a kid and not knowing how to protect my skin. I only started wearing sunscreen recently,” said Osaka, who is of Japanese and Haitian descent. “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.”
The name Kinló (“kin” means “gold” in Japanese and “ló” means “gold” in Haitian Creole) is born from the tennis ace’s vocation to bring awareness to this critical public health problem. According to The National Cancer Institute, 33 percent of Black Americans die from melanoma in the United States, as opposed to eight percent of non-Hispanic white people.
The initial products, set to launch in autumn 2021, will all be priced under $20 and will include an SPF 40 tinted face lotion with blue-light protection, alongside an SPF 50 sunblock for outdoor activity, and a protective body spray, lip balm, and eye cream.
KINLÒ Skin will be officially launching in the fall. Keep in mind that the brand will also be a restoring and recovery product for the face and body, and we’re excitedly awaiting more details.