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Four-time Grand Slam tennis champion and activist Naomi Osaka is venturing into the beauty industry. Spending so many hours training and competing under the sun, the Haitian Japanese athlete knows how important it is to care for her complexion.
Aware of the lack of brands targeting melanated skin, Osaka decided to launch KINLÒ, a functional skincare brand formulated specifically for Brown and Black people.
According to the press release, Osaka worked with GoDaddy to create a custom website and online store as a first-time CEO. The tennis star also partnered with A-Frame, a Los Angeles-based holding company developing talent-led sustainable personal care brands built for underserved communities.
“Bringing KINLÒ to life was a personal and professional goal of mine. I am thrilled that my first entrepreneurial endeavor will be something meaningful to my community, and I couldn‘t be more thankful for my team at A-Frame and GoDaddy,” Naomi said. “Through my personal experience and learnings, I have found that Black, Brown, and other melanated skin-toned communities are often an after-thought in the discussion and research surrounding sun care, including being excluded from clinical studies on skin cancer. Additionally, there is a lack of sun protection products being made with melanated skin in mind. These points have all led me to create KINLÒ, a mission-first brand,” she added.
KINLÒ is made with clean formulations and offers an assortment of active and recovery skincare products built to protect and rejuvenate melanated skin tones, such as the Active Golden Rays Sunscreen, which is mineral-based and designed to eliminate white cast.
The line also includes a Hydrating Eye Cream, Hydrating Golden Mist, and Hydrating Lip Balm. To continue offering high-quality products to her fans, Osaka plans to expand the skincare line and add more items centered on protection and recovery from the sun and blue light.
Naomi Osaka is working with Dr. Naana Boakye, KINLÒ’s Dermatology Director, who is ensuring that the formulations are of the highest efficiency and standard. The brand also plans to educate about skin cancer, particularly skin protection in the Black, Brown, and Asian-Pacific communities.
Osaka’s first company pays homage to her bicultural heritage; therefore, she named it KINLÒ, with Kin and Lo meaning “gold” in Japanese and Haitian Creole, respectively.
“We‘re so honored to have worked with Naomi to turn her passion project into reality,” said GoDaddy CMO Fara Howard. “GoDaddy is about empowering entrepreneurs everywhere to give their ventures a home online and to help them sell anything, anywhere. We’re thrilled to be that place for KINLO.”
Naomi Osaka is one of the most explosive and influential tennis players of all time. She is the first Asian player to hold the No.1 ranking in singles and the first Japanese player to win a Grand Slam.
Her extraordinary tennis triumphs and her off-court activism make her one of the biggest global names in all sports.