Esthetician In Charge: Skincare, Botox, Fillers & More

Essence Beauty joined the beauty talk with Panelist Nayamka Roberts-Smith, hosted by Fannita, to give advice for the beautification of Black skin on the BeautyCon™ stage. The “Head Esthetician in Charge” gave the audience a masterclass on the do’s and don’ts of skincare when dealing with darker toned skin. Flawless makeup requires skincare, and we got the inside scoop on how to maintain your skin’s beauty and health.

Roberts-Smith, is a Jamaican skin expert from New York, based in Los Angeles. Her skincare advice, including a 60-second cleansing rule, went viral on social media for the impact the rule has had on her viewers’ skin regimen. In the “Esthetician In Charge: Botox, Fillers and More” panel discussion, she detailed the benefits of SPF, skin regimen must-haves, and the solution if your skin has not improved.

“For Black and POC, especially for women with deeper toned skin, our skin has a natural SPF,” Roberts-Smith said. “At minimum, you must cleanse your skin in the morning and night, use SPF in the morning, and moisturize at night.”

Roberts-Smith went in depth on the benefits of SPF for part one of the panel. As an important ingredient to use daily, she recommended sunscreen, even for dark skin with natural SPF. The sun causes UV damage to the skin, which weakens and dries skin cells causing less healthy skin prone to hyperpigmentation. Although all skin has the same amount of melanocytes, darker skin has more active melanin cells which can cause hyperpigmentation.

It has been found in accredited studies, SPF does not help darker complexions avoid skin cancer. However, you are still susceptible to skin cancer, just not from UV exposure. Black Girl Sunscreen has SPF without a white cast which will preserve the appearance of your skin as you protect yourself from sun exposure. Search for a chemical SPF without titanium oxide to avoid a gray, purple, blue-toned cast which may interfere with makeup.

“It is true Black doesn’t crack, but you want to safeguard your skin,” Roberts-Smith said. “SPF is a great way to protect melanin.”

On the BeautyCon™ panel, she then introduced how to cleanse and hydrate your skin. “Really melanin-rich skin has less ceramides in the upper layer of the skin,” she said. “The lipid helps our skin retain moisture, which is why Black people tend to get ashy.” She suggested to protect the skin from inflammation and hyperpigmentation, you should replace facial scrubs and abrasive exfoliants in your skin care regimen with a chemical exfoliate.

“We need mandelic acid more than other ethnic groups,” she says. Other ingredients, like Retinol, are a must-have in dark skin care routine to treat acne, hyperpigmentation, fine lines and wrinkles. “If you’re still having issues with your skin, you may want to add a treatment to your skin,” she said “It is important to treat your skin concern, not your skin type.” It’s vital to avoid overusing products as it can lead to more breakouts. Patience is essential, as visible results for most products typically take up to 6 weeks.

Visit BeautyCon™ the Essence Fest edition at essence.com for more on the latest Black beauty panel.