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Prior to the age of social media and influencers (can you even remember way back then?), we got our best beauty tips and tricks from friends, family, and magazines alike. For those of us with melanin skin, outside of a tight circle, our needs were rarely touched by the media. 

Enter social media in all its skincare glory. Thanks to dermatologists, estheticians, and skincare enthusiasts, we're now talking about topics that positively impact our communities, helping to grow the skincare field one inclusive step at a time. 

To celebrate all there is in skinfluencer beauty, here are our top five black skinfluencers to follow in 2022.

1. Nayamka Roberts-Smith, aka LABeautyologist

Nayamka is a licensed esthetician, YouTuber (currently with 20M+ views), and favorite feature in popular magazines. Her focus is educating women of color on all things skincare. “I don’t really want people to be dependent on brands or even dependent on me, it’s all about empowering people to know how to take care of themselves,” she says.

What makes her follow worthy? As we mentioned above, it's all about the 60 second rule. While most people spend 15 seconds washing their faces—if that, Nayamka recommends a whole minute. Why? She says it takes that long to remove all the makeup, dirt, and oil from your skin—allowing your skincare product to actually work, resulting in improved texture and surface evenness. When you take a full minute to wash your skin, it also allows you to have the time to cleanse some often-forgotten areas like your hairline, under your chin, and the edges of your nose. These benefits are something we can all get on board with!

Looking for the best cleanser to fill those 60 seconds? Checkout our Pure the Derm Gel Cleanser

We love Angela’s quick and dirty IG advice that breaks down just about any skincare topic.

2. Angela Mavalla, aka The Skinfluencer

Angela is a pharmacist, skincare educator, and author who became passionate about skincare after dealing with some skin issues herself (she still struggles with hormonal acne and hives). We wrote about Angela in our other skincare blog, but we just knew she had to be featured in our 2022 Skinfluencers blog too. We love Angela’s skincare philosophy: “Skincare to me is accepting my flaws, loving them, and doing all I can to make the condition of my skin healthier.” 

What makes her follow worthy? As we just showed above, for her, we love the easy beauty tips like talking about how to not damage your skin while exfoliating, and why pimple popping is a no-no and how to “resist the urge to pop those spots.”

3. Dr. Camille Howard, aka the Derm Beauty Doc

If you're looking for an up-and-coming skinfluencer, we love the Derm Beauty Doc, whose IG followers have doubled since 2021 (and we’re not surprised at all!) Dr. Howard is a Board-Certified Dermatologist and Board-Certified Family Practitioner who believes that “great skin and hair is as simple as knowing your ingredients and sticking to a routine.”

What makes her follow worthy? Dr. Howard breaks down beauty topics quickly and easily to help educate people on proper skincare. She says, "...I realized that we actually do a terrible job [communicating with our patients]. I had no idea that people were so interested in skincare. I’ve learnt that my followers don’t like when things feel staged, so I rarely wear my white coat. I want my videos to feel light-hearted and authentic.”

4. Evie, aka Sknperfct

This whole list isn’t compiled of dermatologists and science professionals. We promise! Meet (and follow), Evie. While Evie is best known for her perfect skin, her skin wasn’t always the picture of perfection, which motivated her to do her own research into what ingredients and regimens are best for your skin. And let’s be honest: Evie had us at, “I waste my money so you don’t have to.” Because we all know experimenting with skincare products can get pricey. 

What makes her follow worthy? Evie takes the best skincare selfies and talks about exfoliating, skincare routines, and all the things we wanted to try but didn't have all the money to waste doing it. And she gives some pretty powerful advice too: “Celebrate yourself. Be bold. Be cocky sometimes.” 

Looking for a full spectrum skincare solution: Shop our Cleanse + Tone Combo Set.

The list topper. We'll leave it at that. 

5. Dr. Adeline Kikam, aka Brown Skin Derm

Topping everyone's skinfluencer list in 2022 is Dr. Adeline Kikam, a Board-Certified Dermatologist and Beauty Tech Entrepreneur who has been featured in numerous media outlets and who has partnered with top beauty brands like Target, L’Oréal, and Cerave. One of her many strengths is using social media to dive deeper into representation, diversity, and awareness in our skincare community. She believes, “Our communities have lots of unaddressed skin and hair conditions coupled with the lack of access to medical expertise related to their dermatologic needs. It is my hope that this platform will educate the public and help them better articulate their skin issues to their physicians and more importantly, equip them to seek the proper professional care from dermatologists.”

What makes her follow worthy? Dr. Kikam is not only passionate about educating women of color about skin and skincare products, but she’s equally passionate about exposing the mistaken beliefs and stereotypes around black skin, like the dangers of skin bleaching and the mistaken belief that non-Caucasian people can’t get skin cancer.  

As more and more black skinfluencers come onto the scene, they’re spreading education about skincare products, practices, and overall skin health than ever before. So hit follow on the list above (and a follow on us too) as we help to make skincare more accessible and inclusive. Who is your favorite skinfluencer that didn’t make the list? Let us know because we’ll have to add them to our follow list too! 

If you’ve spent most of your life under the myth that a bar of soap and some warm water is all it takes to have clean and healthy skin, you’re not alone. It’s this kind of skincare routine, though seemingly easy and makes sense on the surface, that leaves so many with dry and dull skin. With so many trends and routines out there, it’s hard to tell the good from the bad and the products that take your skin from dull to healthy and glowing. 

It’s also no surprise that you’d want to make sure your skin is healthy and glowing. After all, your skin is your largest organ. Consider the fact that adults carry around 8 LBS and 22 square feet of skin. That’s a lot of surface area you’re showing off to the world, and when it appears dull or oily, that’s a lot of weight to carry around, weight you’re fully aware of. With a couple of our top tips, you can turn your dry or oily skin into healthy glowing skin you’re proud to show off…all 22 square feet of it!

Tip 1: Embrace a healthy lifestyle + stay hydrated

Ok, technically this is not a beauty secret, and it doesn't require any beauty products (not just yet, at least). Hydration and healthy glowing skin go hand-in-hand. While you can (and should) drink enough water to keep yourself hydrated, you should also ditch things like alcohol, which dehydrates your skin. Don’t take it from us. Brendan Camp, MD, says, “Habitual drinking can accentuate fine lines, broken blood vessels, sun spots, and puffy eyes.” To keep your skin healthy and hydrated, grab a mocktail or limit your alcohol intake. If you do drink, consider drinking a glass of water between alcoholic beverages, and don’t forget your skincare routine. Use a moisturizer with ingredients like Aloe Vera—a humectant that pulls moisture from the air, soaking and locking it into your skin—before you hit the sheets to make sure your skin stays hydrated. 

Tip 2: Cleanse your skin properly

While it might sound simple to wash your face, let’s stop right there. It’s not as simple as you think. You could be using the wrong products for your skin type, and you could be leaving residue on your skin, causing blackheads and clogged pores. To make sure your beauty routine is on point, let’s start with washing your face. Since some research suggests that melanin skin loses moisture more quickly, you want to make sure you aren’t stripping your skin of essential oils, so let go of cleansers that contain things like sodium lauryl sulfate, parabens, and alcohol. 

Instead, look for great cleanser ingredients like: 

• Aloe Vera
• Cucumber Extract
• Licorice Extract

Tip 3: Fall in love with humectants

If you’re thinking, “I came here for beauty tips, not a science lecture,” we hear you, but don’t shy away from humectants. Even skinfluencer Michelle Wong says, “I started using humectant moisturizers and this stopped my skin from being dehydrated. Instead, it became plump and soft and smooth.” And one of her favorite humectants? You guessed it…Aloe Vera. Apply a daily moisturizer and cleanser that has a humectant—like Aloe Vera—in it to give your melanin skin a healthy, dewy glow.

Tip 4: Include toner in your skincare routine

If you feel like hydration might be number one to your skin, you’re not wrong. As skinfluencer Angela Mavalla says, “Never forget: your skin will ALWAYS thank you for keeping it hydrated as there is no such a thing as too much hydration!” And that, my friends, includes adding a toner to your skincare routine. Here we go with humectants again, but if humectants had a best friend, it would be your toner. Why? Well, a good toner leaves all those bad things behind (you know, the ones we mentioned in tip two), and instead adds more humectants into your routine. Long story short: Toners help add moisture into the skin. 

After you cleanse your skin, add a toner, and then moisturize away. 

It’s this one extra step that will make all the difference. Looking for the perfect toner for your skin? Shop our balance and hydrate toner.

Tip 5: Don’t skip the serum

Now that you’re in the skincare routine, up the ante by adding a serum. A serum has larger amounts of active molecules, allowing it to penetrate the skin’s surface and show results more quickly. If you’re wondering if you can use a serum vs a moisturizer, research suggests that you want to use both. A serum is your secret weapon to doing away with that dull complexion.

Looking for a full skincare routine in one powerful line? Shop our 4 Step Skin Quench

The only thing left? Go get your glow on…like now! The steps are simple, and the main key is hydrate, hydrate, and hydrate! That means more than just drinking up that H20. Your skin’s main purpose is to protect, so why not help it do its job that much easier. It’s a win-win, and your melanin skin will be healthy and glowing from the inside out!