Rihanna reveals she grew up believing that wearing sunscreen was a 'tourist thing'

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For many Black women and men, applying sunscreen is not part of their daily skin care routine. Beauty myths like “Black don’t crack” or doesn’t get sunburned, along with the lack of sun safety practices among people of color, often lead to sun damage, wrinkles or even cancer. But Rihanna is working hard to rewrite this false narrative with the launch of Fenty Skin.

The new skin care line includes a facial cleanser, toner-serum and a moisturizer with SPF 30. Formulated with super hydrators hyaluronic acid and niacinamide, as well as fruit extracts and antioxidants inspired by her native Barbados, Rihanna has curated a three-step system that takes care of your basic cleansing and moisturizing needs.

Fenty Skin Hydra Vizor Invisible Moisturizer Broad Spectrum SPF 30 Sunscreen
Fenty Skin Hydra Vizor Invisible Moisturizer Broad Spectrum SPF 30 Sunscreen (Photo courtesy of Fenty Skin)

But it’s her Hydra Vizor Invisible Moisturizer Broad Spectrum SPF 30 Sunscreen that really stands out —namely, because it does not look gray or white on deeper skin tones, and it’s packaged in a beautiful way that would make anyone want to put it on.

When thinking back on her childhood, Rihanna tells Yahoo Entertainment that sunscreen wasn’t top of mind. “Growing up on an island, you’re exposed to the sun every day. So you always thought that SPF was a tourist thing, and especially not for Black people,” she says. “I have learned the hard way because over time the sun wasn’t that kind to my skin and my skin was not that resilient. So I started to have hyperpigmentation in certain areas.”

Fast-forward some years, the now 32-year-old is much wiser and understands why wearing sunscreen is important no matter your race or ethnic background. She explains, “Whether it’s hot or a gray, winter cold day, those UV rays are always out. I think the biggest misconception with SPF, in particular, is that Black people don’t need it. And as a woman of color, I am here to say that’s a lie. We need it and we need it every day.”

Fenty Skin launches exclusively on fentyskin.com Friday, July 31.

(Yahoo Entertainment may receive a share from purchases made via links on this page.)

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