For far too long, the beauty industry has not provided products that work for people of color. Enterprising entrepreneurs are stepping in to fill the gap, recognizing that not only is there an ethical issue in making sure that people have access to high-quality products that work for their skin tone but also that there’s a lot of money to be made by providing products that are in high demand.
Now, Naomi Osaka, who has already proven herself to be boldly socially conscious in addition to a talented athlete, is stepping into the skincare market — and it will only add to her already impressive fortune.
Naomi Osaka’s tennis career has made her a superstar
Osaka was born in 1997 in Japan. Her mother is Japanese, and her father is Haitian. Osaka proudly identifies as Black and Asian and speaks about the positive influence both sides of her cultural legacy have had on her.
Osaka’s family relocated to the United States when she was just three years old, and after some time in Long Island, they landed in Florida. For some time, Osaka had dual citizenship between Japan and America, but she gave up the American citizenship in order to compete for Japan in the 2020 Olympics — which have been delayed because of the pandemic.
Osaka’s tennis career has been making headlines. When Osaka beat Serena Williams in a match at the 2018 U.S. Open, it became a very controversial moment. But it also launched Osaka into the spotlight — even for those who don’t follow tennis.
Since then, the star has racked up plenty of wins and proven herself to be a top contender in the increasingly popular sport.
Naomi Osaka has used her platform for awareness
Osaka has made it clear that she is not content to rest on her laurels, and she consistently uses her platform to speak up for causes that are important to her. Among these causes is making sure that female athletes gain respect, funding, and equal opportunities.
As Forbes’ highest-paid female athlete in 2020, she has a position from which to speak that can help other female athletes as well, and she’s clearly aware of her responsibility and power.
In addition, Osaka has used her high visibility to be a vocal proponent of the Black Lives Matter movement and calling for an end to police brutality. As TIME reports, the young star intentionally wore seven different masks during her performance in the 2020 U.S. Open. Each one had the name of a different person killed by police printed on it. When asked about her motivation behind the move, Osaka responded that she wanted to “make people start talking.”
New skincare line will add to Naomi Osaka’s growing legacy
Osaka has proven herself to be capable in multiple areas of life, and she shows no signs of letting up. In fact, she’s leveraging both her stance on equality and her star power to launch a beauty line that will specifically cater to people of color.
Business of Fashion reports that the upcoming line will be named Kinló, which is a combination of the word for “gold” in both Japanese and Haitian. In this way, Osaka pays tribute to her own cultural legacy while highlighting the importance of considering diversity when creating products.
As Teen Vogue reports, Osaka feels passionately that her project is important because it is about public health: “I used to tell people that I didn’t need to wear sunscreen — but even if you have melanin, you need to take care of your skin, and I am passionate about that.”
In addition to being an important move for making sure that all people are protecting their skin, this endeavor is sure to add to Osaka’s growing net worth as well. Already, the young star is worth an estimated $25 million, and the success of Kinló would only grow that total.
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