Skin Revolution is a marvelous book written by Dr. Vanita Rattan that talks all about skin care for skin color! She is a doctor as well as a skin care formulator. Her YouTube channel is filled with videos that serve as a library for her skin of color community. In these videos, she talks about how most skin care products are formulated for Caucasian skin. Why does this matter?

Well, it matters because our skin hyperpigments way more easily than Caucasian skin, so in turn we have to be more careful about what we put on our skin.

Now normally I donate my books right after reading them but I just know I will hold on to this book forever! I obviously can’t share every single thing she talks about in the book because then this blog post would turn into a book itself, but I will definitely share my most important takeaways from this book below!

Skin

The first thing she delves into is: skin! She shares a photo of the skin and what the different layers are.

The outermost layer is the epidermis, then the dermis, and then the hypodermis (inner most layer). Melanocytes (melanin producing cells) live between the dermis and the epidermis. People with skin of color have more melanin producing cells and people with darker skin tend to have darker melanocytes. Melanin gives our skin more UV protection.

Another important note about skin is that our skin is also slightly acidic with a pH of 4.5-6. This is important because this will tell us what products are most compatible with our skin based off of their pH range. If the pH is too low (more acidic) it will irritate our skin which will lead to hyperpigmentation.

Irritating ingredients: drying alcohols, essential oils, and fragrance

What is skin of color?

Skin of color can be anywhere from a 3-6 on the Fitzpatrick scale. Basically, its people who are more likely to tan in the sun than burn. This also includes medium white-olive skin tones.

Skin Care Routines

AM

In the AM: keep it basic

1. Cleanse
2. Moisturize: darker skin tones have more transepidermal water loss which could be due to lower levels of ceramides. In a moisturizer we want to look for ceramides (airless pump), peptides, and humectants
3. SPF 50 (every 2 hours)

PM: start 2 hours before bedtime

1. Double cleanse: do NOT use makeup wipes. We need surfactants to allow water to spread further to clean all the dirt which is why she recommends using a micellar gel wash. Your skin type is what will determine which type of cleanser to use. I have oily/acne prone skin so key ingredients for me are: salicylic acid, niacinamide (sebum control) or benzoyl peroxide (5%). NO oil cleansing. HOWEVER I do use the clinique take the day off balm to take off my makeup followed by micellar wash to take off the stubborn mascara. Then I use my salicylic acid wash so I guess you could say I triple cleanse?
2. Hydrating toner: removes additional dirt and allows for increased penetration of actives. Avoid: denatured alcohol, witch hazel, menthol, fragrance and essential oil.
3. Chemical exfoliation (1-2x weekly): her faves are lactic and mandelic acid. Glycolic acid is very irritating in skin of color so don’t use anything over 5%. Enzyme exfoliation with papain, bromelain, and pumpkin enzymes can sensitize the skin so she is NOT a fan of those.
4. Actives/treatments
5. Moisturizer

STEP 2 – Toner

Her picks for oily skin: Paula’s choice Skin Balancing Toner, Face Theory C-Pore Reducing Toner, Q+A Niacinamide Daily Toner

STEP 3- Chemical Exfoliation: AHA, BHA, or PHA. Do not use retinol afterwards

Salicylic acid is fat-soluble so it penetrates sebum filled pores and unclogs them. Do not use BHAs on dry, eczema prone skin. It is better for those who have oily, acne prone skin. Her recommendations for salicylic are: The Ordinary Salicylic Acid Mask, Naturium BHA liquid exfoliant, and Face Theory BHA exfoliating serum.

STEP 4-Actives

These are just the basics, I’ll refer you to her book for more information!

Personally for my actives I use retinol (vitamin A), niacinamide (vitamin B3), hyaluronic acid, and vitamin C.

Vitamin A: AKA the queen of the skincare game!

Not only is this ingredient great for acne, it also helps to stimulate collagen in the skin and increases cell turnover. This in turn leads to less hyperpigmentation and more anti-ageing benefits. The following are all forms of vitamin A in skincare listed from weakest to most potent: retinyl palmitate, retinol, retinaldehyde (her fave), and retinoic acid (most irritating). For retinol, the max percentage recommended is 0.5%

My retinol has been prescribed by my dermatologist but you can get differin OTC. Do not use retinol with: another retinol, AHAs, or benzoyl peroxide. Using with a BHA can cause the skin to dry out – if using with BHA make sure to moisturize well. If you are going to use retinol, you can follow it with other non-irritating actives: niacinamide, green-tea extract, or hyaluronic acid.

*Do not use if pregnant* Do not use with benzoyl peroxide because it will stop the retinol from working. Retinol-like compounds like adaplene (Differin) are okay to use with benzoyl peroxide.

Hyaluronic Acid

Hyaluronic acid is a humectant and keeps the skin looking plump and juicy. I use the one from Naturium. You have to put a moisturizer on top when you use this.

Niacinamide

This active decreases lines, hyperpigmentation, erythema (think rosacea), and increases elasticity. This is UV stable so you can use it in the morning or at night time. Do not use in combination with BHA/AHA because the pH is too low to provide an optimal environment for niacinamide to function.

Vitamin C

Vitamins C and E are antioxidants so they mop up free radicals in our skin which decreases premature ageing. For vitamin C (which helps to boost collagen), I use the The Ordinary Ascorbyl Glucoside. Dr. Rattan recommends vitamin C from Face Theory. Avoid ascorbic acid because the pH is too low and will cause irritation. Here are the formulations that are recommended for vitamin C: sodium ascorbyl phosphate, magnesium ascorbyl phosphate, 3-0 ethyl ascorbic acid, ascorbyl glucoside and tetrahexldecyl ascorbate.

Hyperpigmentation Actives:

Melanosome transfer interrupter: niacinamide

I use a sunblock with niacinamide in it to stop my dark marks from getting darker

Tyrosinase inhibitors: retinoids, alpha arbutin, kojic dipalmitate, vitamin C, vitamin E (tocopherol acetate), green tea extract, liquorice extract, azelaic acid

She mentions alpha arbutin in a lot of her videos. It is a hydroquinone derivate. However, hydroquinone cannot be used for more than 3 months because it causes rebound hyperpigmentation.

*If you are going to wear a face oil, only at night – not during the day*

STEP 5 – MOISTURIZER

She recommends using a fatty moisturizer like cetraben but I don’t like anything too heavy. I use a moisturizer that has peptides in it so that it will help my skin to boost collagen production.

Collagen in cream form is too big of a molecule to actually penetrate the skin. This is why we need antioxidants, ceramides, peptides, and vitamin A to stimulate collagen production to keep our skin looking plump and to avoid wrinkles. Avoiding a high sugar diet, using sunblock, and smoking cessation can all help to decrease the risk of damaging collagen.

Her recommendations depend on what skin type you have. For oily skin or anti-ageing: Cetaphil Pro Dermacontrol, Drunk Elephant Protini, Naturium Plant Ceramide Rice Moisture Cream

Sunscreen

Ideal sunscreen is broad spectrum. Zinc oxide, a mineral sunscreen, is the *best* and is also antimicrobial. Mineral sunscreens such as zinc oxide and titanium dioxide reflect 5-10% more UV rays. Tinosorb M is a chemical sunscreen that can also scatter UV rays like a mineral sunscreen would. The benefit of a chemical sunscreen over a mineral sunscreen is that these usually do not produce the white cast.

UVA: longer wavelength, responsible for ageing. Stronger UVA performance: tinosorb S, avobenzone, and zinc and titanium dioxide.

UVB: responsible for burning. Stronger UVB performance: oxybenzone, octinoxate, and homosalate.

SPF is mostly a measure of UVB rays. The normal time to burn with no sunscreen is 5 minutes. So if you have a suncreen with an SPF of 50 then the time taken to burn is 250 minutes.

She covers much more in her book as well as other conditions like dark circles and melasma so please check it out! It’s a great resource!

What’s your night time routine like? I’m genuinely curious! Leave me a comment and let me know! Did you want to know more about mine and which products I specifically use? If so, also let me know!

Disclaimer: This post is not sponsored. If you choose to purchase through my Amazon Affiliate link I will make a small commission.