This article has been medically reviewed by Naana Boakye, MD, MPH and Heather McGowan, MD

Everything we do is about community, connection, and family. So when we say our formulas are made especially for melanated babies, we mean it. So, you want to know what PROUDLY is doing differently to center the needs of black and brown baby skin? Let’s get into it.

MADE FOR US

 PROUDLY products are the best products for Black and brown babies because we design them with the darkest skin tones in mind because they are more prone to key skin conditions.

 Quick Facts:

• Black skin loses water faster than white skin because it has less water-retaining ceramides
• Melanin-rich skin has a higher potential to be clinically dry and more prone to skin conditions like eczema, cradle cap, acne, and intense diaper rash and irritation
• Baby skin is thinner, more fragile, and prone to dryness compared to adult skin

That said, Black and brown baby skin needs some extra-special attention. We are dedicated to prioritizing the skin needs of children of color and creating products that work hard to function well, while remaining gentle for melanated and sensitive skin.

MADE BY US

NANA BOAKYE, MD, MPH DERMATOLOGY DIRECTOR

HEATHER McGOWAN,MD ADVISING PEDIATRICIAN

PETER KPERE-DAIBO PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT LEAD

Our Product Development Team includes physicians and scientific experts—Black professionals who have treated patients of color and created products for people of color for a combined 40+ years. Board-certified Dermatologist Dr. Naana Boakye and board-certified Pediatrician Dr. Heather McGowan are formulating and hand selecting our ingredients to meet our unique needs. Peter Kpere-Daibo is our chemist and product development  expert who has developed products for Black and brown consumers for 15+ years.

PROUDLY™ MADE: OUR UNIQUE PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT APPROACH

We know caregivers don’t have much time, but they are concerned with the skin needs of their littlest loves. We’re here to do the research, so you don’t have to (unless you want to!).

• We leverage gentle, plant-based, moisture-rich ingredients
  We’re picky about the ingredients going into every product for our littlest loves. We strike a balance of humectant, emollient, and occlusive ingredients based on product usage and need. 
• We add humectants like oat bran extract or aloe leaf juice to draw water to the skin barrier and delay moisture evaporation. 
• To combat dryness and strengthen the skin barrier, we add skin-softening emollients, like jojoba oil, rosehip oil, grapeseed oil, or squalane.
• We include occlusives like mango butter, shea butter, or candelilla wax to lock in long-lasting moisture.
  

Our thoughtfully selected ingredients help keep skin baby-soft, moisturized, and protected.

• We demand No Sketchy Stuff!™ and formulate for babies and melanated skin
  We believe in ingredient transparency, listing out each and every ingredient. And when it comes to the sketchy stuff, we think about both baby skin and melanated skin.
• For delicate baby skin, we keep out the “why would these ever be in a baby product” ingredients, including skin irritators, potential carcinogens, hormone disruptors, and thousands of other nasties we don’t want near our littlest loves. We’ll never hide a chunk of ingredients in that catch-all term “fragrance.” We leverage natural, plant-powered essential oil-based scents at gentle concentrations of less than 1%.
• For sensitive, Black and brown skin, we limit or keep out ingredients that could be allergens, trigger skin conditions, clog pores, or strip skin of its natural moisture, including: petroleum-based ingredients like pore-clogging petrolatum and PEGs or greasy mineral oil; drying sulfates or alcohols; and harsh surfactants like cocamidopropyl betaine.
  
  

• We thoughtfully add the functional stuff because it’s gotta work
  Some ingredients are necessary to make the product work, keep the formula well-mixed, and prevent bacteria and funky stuff from growing. 
• Surfactants are the ingredients that power cleansers, but most are too harsh for our babies' sensitive, melanated skin. We stick with gentle plant and glucoside-based cleansers on the eyes and skin—because every baby wash should be tear-free and keep baby skin baby-soft.
• Preservatives help ensure the product is effective, stable, and antimicrobial while you are using it. But not all preservatives are the same, so we handle this carefully. We thoughtfully formulate with the best quality and performance-driven ingredients at the lowest possible concentration to provide the benefit and limit the potential for irritation. 

Simply put, we’re proud of the ingredients we put in and those we limit or keep out of our products. Every ingredient and its concentration is thoughtfully selected to impart lasting moisture to our littlest loves’ delicate skin.

And the result? Formulas with studied and hand-selected ingredients that are effective, cleaner, non-stripping, extra-moisturizing, and hypoallergenic—coming together to help our littlest love's skin PROUDLY glow!