It is often said that black does not crack, which is sort of true, but not really. While melanin provides some degree of protection from harsh rays depending on one’s tone, it’s not enough to provide complete immunity from the damaging impact of UV rays on the skin. The issue with people of color who want to wear sunscreen is that the most effective and safest ingredient, zinc, creates a chalky cast on skin, which looks weird on all skin tones but even more so brown skin.
Enter Frank Ocean‘s mom, Katonya Breaux, who has come to the rescue with Unsun, a sunscreen that has safe ingredients but is also slightly tinted so it blends better. Breaux doesn’t have a background in skincare, but told NY Magazine she put in two years working in collaboration with a lab to come up with a formula that makes sense for people of color. Turns out white people like the formula, too, because nobody is a fan of chalky skin. And yes, according to Breaux, her son wears her product, and noted sweetly like only a mom can, “He takes really good care of his skin.”
In the article, it’s pointed out that Breaux has “amazing skin” (as the filter free Instagram photo below reveals) and when asked, she explained some of her beauty routine, which includes daily use of GlamGlow Supercleanse cleanser and C E Ferulic serum.
She also recommended that people in general keep their unclean hands off of each other’s faces, even in romantic settings. “Don’t let guys put their dirty hands on your face. I know it’s cute and it’s romantic, but make them wash their hands first,” Breaux said (in what one imagines is the most soothing voice on the planet).
If you visit the Unsun website, Breaux charmingly has posted up the iconic Baz Luhrmann video, which recites life advice originally provided in a Mary Schmicht essay for the Chicago Tribune. The video starts and closes by recommending the reader wear sunscreen above all else.
Available in SPF 30, Unsun is priced at $29 for a 1.7 fluid ounce and is now available at unsuncosmetics.com.
