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Twelve years into her public career, Naomi Osaka seems to be just getting started. The tennis superstar has built an impressive resume, winning four Grand Slam singles titles, two U.S. Open titles, and being ranked as one of the best tennis players in the world. This week, she’ll have the chance to compete for another title when she returns to the U.S. Open in 2024. But even more impressive than her dominating competitive prowess on the court is what she’s accomplished outside of the sport.
Osaka has been vocal about issues surrounding mental health, famously withdrawing from the 2021 French Open to prioritize her own mental health. She also advocates for Black women through a number of business ventures, many of which are aimed at fighting racial inequality and addressing the gap in inclusivity in many professional spaces. Currently, the industry she is focused on is beauty.
In 2021, Osaka launched her own “sun care” brand, Kinlò Skincare, which is specifically aimed at caring for and protecting melanin-pigmented skin. “I previously had the misconception that melanin-pigmented skin doesn’t need sunscreen, but I got badly burned during a match and learned that this was false,” Osaka told PS. “I then did some research and learned that people with melanin-pigmented skin have a lower skin cancer survival rate than people with lighter skin. Educating the BIPOC community about the importance of sun care is a pillar of Kinlò and a big mission of mine.”
She developed Kinlò products in the hopes of not only protecting skin from harmful UVA/UVB rays, but also helping it recover from sunburn. Since launching, the brand has expanded to include everything from face moisturizers and sunscreen sticks to UV-sensing stickers, all priced under $60.
“Making sunscreen accessible and affordable for everyone is really important to me,” Osaka says. “The beauty industry as a whole is huge, but the percentage of businesses owned by people of color is small. I’m so grateful to be able to develop a product specifically for high-melanin skin concerns and pave the way for more Black-owned businesses in the beauty industry.”
We had the chance to chat with Naomi about her growing skincare brand, her hopes for the beauty industry, and the products she needs to keep winning on and off the court, from patterned slippers to her editor-favorite sound machine.
