Our Mission

Teach Melantated Skincare Everywhere

Let’s face it, nearly half of America is multi-cultural. And our nation’s population is more diverse than ever before. As we marvel at our rapidly changing landscape, we are reminded of the continued lack of attention the skincare industry has placed on addressing the unique concerns specific to black and brown hues. Moreover, in the professional treatment of skin we also see issues of systemic neglect in the care and treatment of skin of color, with a study showing that 47% of dermatologists felt that their medical training didn’t prepare them to treat Black skin.

But dissatisfaction with the status quo is driving significant shifts; our society is calling for racial equity, in many forms. Now is the time to not only change the course of skincare, but also the coursework, practitioner requirements and certification standards used to educate and train skincare professionals. For far too long, the standard of skincare has taken a one size fits all approach, based mainly on Caucasian skin. Textbooks and training materials in cosmetology, esthetic and even dermatology schools continue to focus on Eurocentric techniques, methodologies, diagnosis of skin maladies based on appearance on Caucasian skin, and visual aids that don’t apply to everyone.

Created With Science. Tested in the Real World.

We didn’t want our products to just be backed by science. They needed to be backed by the amazing shades they’re made for, too.

MELÉ is a collective eﬀort: co-created with dermatologists of color and a community of melanin-rich beauty experts who helped make MELÉ what it is today.

Influencers

Teaming up with editorial experts, we committed to bringing more diversity into the industry - starting with consulting a wide range of beauty inﬂuencers. They wanted products that didn’t just treat all skin the same but addressed the speciﬁc needs of melanin-rich skin. Skincare that tackled hyper-pigmentation, acne scarring, sun protection - celebrating the beauty of melanin-rich skin, in all its shades.

But we didn’t stop there. We needed to make sure it worked for real folks with real skin concerns...

Our Community Lab

From the beginning, we regularly shared ideas, concepts, products, advertisements, product names, and pack designs for feedback and input with the melanin-rich community. We received hundred of pieces of input and video footage of the community trying and reviewing our products. All of this input on every single product helped us ensure we were always putting the magic in your skin ﬁrst.

Get the look: Effortless waves

Heat treatment is getting more popular everyday . Most of us have our own conceptions about this treatment.

Our Goal

We are calling for systemic change to give melanin rich skin the attention and care it deserves within the professional skin care industry. It’s time to change the standard of melanated skincare training used in cosmetology and esthetician training schools nationwide. Schools and training programs should focus on increasing the pipeline of skincare practitioners and estheticians certified in melanin rich skin care.

Face the Facts

Only 3% of dermatologists are Black and 4% are Hispanic.
Skin of color information and representation is lacking in skincare research journals, textbooks, manuals (including visual aids).
Currently there is no broadly or consistently taught standard curriculum in cosmetology or esthetic schools focused on the unique needs of melanin-rich skin.
Black and Hispanic women are 50% less likely than Caucasian women to visit a dermatologist for similar skin concerns.
Most skincare professionals are not taught that there are differences in treating skin of color.
Insurance coverage is restrictive for skin conditions affecting those with heavily melanated skin.

Sign the Petition: Put Your Skin in the Game

We are asking you to sign this petition asking schools to:

Raise the bar for state licensing by establishing new certification requirements and minimum practitioner hours of melanin-rich skin training.
Implement specific, high-quality training on melanin-rich skin as a core part of the curriculum in esthetician & cosmetology schools.
It is imperative that we come together and promote and support opportunities for equality, diversity, inclusion in skincare education and training.

Join us in creating real change that will impact the quality of professional skincare for melanin-rich skin. Our goal is 100,000 signatures so, please spread the word and help us get more petition signatures! Follow @Meleskincare and visit www.meleskincare.com to see the progress we’re making together.

Sign Our Petition