Some brands have opted to specialize in colors and formulations that cater to women according to skin tone. Others are focusing on the benefits consumers expect regardless of skin color or hair texture.
The product line that Angela Bassett is involved with is in the former camp and is called quite plainly, Darker Skin Tones by Dr. Barbara Sturm.
Starting small
To being with the skin care line will comprise five products: a foam cleanser and an enzyme cleanser, two face creams, and a hyaluronic serum. Darker Skin Tones by Dr. Barbara Sturm will be sold online as well as exclusively at Harrods starting in July, according to reports.
Formulation secrets
What makes the collection specific for darker tones of skin are the concerns it’s designed to address, namely hyper-pigmentation, unevenness, and inflammation.
The products are all made with the ingredient purslane, which “is said to…target anti-aging in a major way with the help of a youth enzyme,” according to Maya Rollins, who wrote about the launch for vibe.com.
Purslane is an edible plant, so including it in the formulation could mean the products will appeal to consumers looking for natural, food-quality skin care. As Cosmetics Design reported just this week, those are the sort of products set to gain market share in the skin care and anti-aging space. “Our main ingredient, which goes through our whole line, is purslane,” affirms Sturm in a WWD item.
“It’s also an herb, and it has such powerful properties in every direction,” she says, going on to explain that what she likes most about it “is actually the youth enzyme, this telomerase activator. The telomerase activates an enzyme to keep those ends of the chromosomes long, which actually works against natural programmed cell death, and that’s the key. So not only do we have anti-inflammation and the evening out of skin tone but also a big thing for anti-aging.”