Skin tone – fair, olive or dark – plays a big role in how well your beauty products work. Read on for the creams, peels and washes you need to keep it healthy and glowing…
Ever had a friend recommend a miracle face wash or moisturizer and been disappointed that it didn’t work the same magic on you? Turns out there’s more to skin type than dry, oily or combination.
“Differences in anatomy, physiology and function can influence how certain products react with the skin,” says Sonia Badreshia-Bansal, M.D., a clinical instructor of dermatology at the University of California, San Francisco, with a private practice in Danville, Calif.
For example, that benzoyl peroxide wash a fair-skinned friend swears by to prevent breakouts could irritate and bleach delicate olive tones. And just because you have dark skin doesn’t mean you can skip SPF. In fact, skin cancers tend to be more dangerous for folks with deeper complexions, according to our experts.
So how do you brave the beauty aisle to find the right products? The key is learning which skin conditions and traits are most common for your skin tone.
Of course, if you’ve ever shopped for foundation, you know there’s a dizzying array of shades to describe our complexions. But since several overlap when it comes to skin care, we’ve grouped them into the three main tones.
Choose the shade that best describes you to find the right products for your face.
Fair
Complexion conundrums: No wonder Snow White spent so much time indoors with the dwarfs. Too much sun would have left her pale skin looking older than its years.
“Fair skin burns more easily than any other because there’s no skin pigment, called melanin, to protect it,” explains Jeannette Graf, M.D., assistant clinical professor of dermatology at Mount Sinai School of Medicine and author of Stop Aging, Start Living (Three Rivers Press).
Melanin gives skin its color and provides some protection against UV rays.
Without it, “fair skin is more prone to skin cancer, sun damage and in time will show more wrinkling than darker skin tones,” Graf says.
Other issues to watch for: Redness, sensitivity and rosacea, a chronic condition characterized by flushing, pimples, swelling and visible blood vessels.
The bright side: It’s the most forgiving of all skin tones.
“So if you get a pimple or irritate it, you don’t get long-term [pigment discoloration] as you do on dark skin,” Graf says.
Tips for your tone:
1. Avoid irritants. Skip cosmetics and skincare items containing fragrances, soap and alcohol. Fair skin is easily aggravated and can sting or burn in response to these products.
Instead, look for products formulated for sensitive skin and those labeled “hypoallergenic,” meaning it's less likely to cause an allergic reaction.
2. Protect skin with topical antioxidants, like vitamins C and E, green tea and coffee berry. You’ll find them in moisturizers, treatment products and, increasingly, sunscreens.
Antioxidants block the free radicals that break down collagen and elastin and leave you more susceptible to skin cancer, Graf says.
3. Address age-related damage. At night, ward off fine lines, wrinkles and age spots with a product that has retinol. This will help speed cell turnover, boost collagen production and fade discolorations.
But start off slow so skin doesn’t react. “Use it every other night, and gradually increase the amount used,” Graf says.
4. Soothe a crimson complexion with an anti-redness lotion or moisturizer. These use ingredients like licorice root extract and chamomile to calm ruddy skin over the long term.
“Licorice extract and chamomile (also called bisabolol) both have anti-inflammatory properties,” Graf says. Some anti-redness products are tinted green so they temporarily neutralize redness.
5. Slather on sunscreen every day, even when it’s cloudy. “Fair skin burns so easily, you can’t go anywhere without protecting it from UV rays,” Graf says.
Look for physical sunscreens containing active ingredients like zinc and/or titanium dioxide. These sit on skin to block rays. Chemical sunscreens (which contain active ingredients such as avobenzone and oxybenzone) protect by being absorbed in skin, which can cause reactions.
Also, do monthly mole self-exams and see a dermatologist annually for a professional skin exam.
Olive
Complexion conundrums: Uneven skin tone and hyperpigmentation – darkened areas of skin, due to increased melanin – are olive skin’s biggest issues.
“Because it pigments easily, any level of skin inflammation, like a mosquito bite, pimple or scratch, leaves a dark mark after it heals,” says Jeanine Downie, M.D., director of Image Dermatology in Montclair, N.J., and co-author of Beautiful Skin of Color (Collins Living).
Products with harsh chemicals and active ingredients such as glycolic acid can also bring on hyperpigmentation, Badreshia-Bansal adds.
Unfortunately, because an olive complexion is prone to slow healing, these marks often last for months.
It also tends to be oilier than its fairer counterparts, develops larger pores as it ages and is prone to breakouts.
The bright side: You’re not likely to see wrinkles until your late 40s or 50s, according to Graf.
Tips for your tone:
1. Steer clear of harsh products. Yes, you can use products to lighten pigmentation and clear up acne. Just be careful not to over-irritate the skin – because that will make these problems worse, Badreshia-Bansal says.
With active ingredients like retinols or glycolic acid, apply sparingly every other night, then gradually increase amount and frequency.
2. Be vigilant about sunscreen. Besides warding off skin cancer, protecting yourself from the sun's rays keeps sun from penetrating into skin. “If your skin is getting darker, your dark spots are too,” Downie says.
3. Keep pores clean. When pores are plugged with dirt and oil, they can stretch and look larger. Facial washes, treatment products and moisturizers with alpha-hydroxy, salicylic or lactic acids can speed up cell turnover and clean pores, making them less noticeable. Drugstore-brand pore strips can also help.
4. Banish breakouts. Use an acne-fighting cleanser or spot-treatment product that with salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide. But don’t go above 2.5% benzoyl peroxide, Graf says. “This can leave a dark spot in place of a pimple. Or it can bleach skin.”
5. Control oil with cleansers containing alpha hydroxy or salicylic acids. These reduce oil secretions and sop up excess grease.
But don’t overwash skin or dry it out. “Overdrying makes the skin produce more oil in response,” Graf says.
Dark
Complexion conundrums: Like your olive-skinned friends, discoloration, uneven skin tone and pigment problems are your top concerns.
Because skin pigments more easily than lighter tones, melasma (skin discoloration that appears in brown patches) and dark circles are additional issues.
The bright side: Dark complexions contain large amounts of melanin. This “guards skin from short-term effects of the sun, such as severe sunburn – although it can burn under certain circumstances,” says Susan C. Taylor, M.D. author of Brown Skin: Dr. Susan Taylor’s Prescription for Flawless Skin, Hair and Nails (Harper Paperbacks).
Tips for your tone:
1. Address skin needs immediately. If you don’t prevent or treat issues like acne or eczema (this appears as an itchy, red rash), right away, “discoloration will appear without fail,” Graf says.
2. Lighten melasma. Use over-the-counter lightening products with licorice, vitamin C, kojic acid or soy, says Downie.
These ingredients are gentle enough not to irritate skin and make pigment problems worse.
If they don’t work, ask your dermatologist about a prescription ointment called Tri-Luma Cream. “It lightens and brightens skin with a combination of hydroquinone, a low-potency steroid and a retinoid,” Downie says.
And ask your doctor before using an over-the-counter product with hydroquinone.
3. Don’t rub your eyes. “Like a pimple or mosquito bite, rubbing causes inflammation, leaving dark circles around your eyes,” Downie says.
Instead, use an effective eye makeup remover so you don’t have to work so hard to swipe off mascara, and apply it to your skin with light strokes.
And if eyes are itchy from allergies or lack of sleep, “apply ice packs for two minutes each night,” Downie says. This soothes eyes so you’re less tempted to rub them.
4. Moisturize daily. This stops your skin’s tendency to appear ashy, Badreshia-Bansal says. Apply lotion to damp skin so it traps in that extra water.
5. Don’t skip the sunscreen. Dark skin isn’t immune to sun damage, even though increased melanin provides more natural sun protection and you don’t burn as easily.
“Skin cancers found in African-Americans and Latinos tend to be more advanced and require more treatment because they’re not diagnosed as early,” Downie says.
Though skin of color is less likely to develop skin cancer, when it does you’re more likely to die from it, according to the Skin Cancer Foundation.
Are You Skin-Care Savvy?
If your skin-care knowledge could barely fill a pillbox, you need a refresher course. Do you know how to put your best face forward?
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