In recent years, the mainstream beauty industry has finally gotten the memo that skin comes in all shades—introducing a welcome slew of new multicultural offerings. In fact, in 2014, the multicultural beauty sector’s growth outpaced that of the overall market for cosmetics and toiletries.
It’s certainly a much-needed development, but even with a broader array of hues hitting the market, finding the right regimen is about more than just fitting into a certain category. Along with ethnicity, board-certified dermatologist Kally Papantoniou suggests taking your skin type into account when buying beauty products. While dermatologists use various means to determine your skin type---the Baumann skin type solution, for example---Papantoniou uses the Fitzpatrick scale, which goes from one through six—from lightest to darkest—and is determined by how much one’s skin burns or tans.
“When it comes to skin, I don’t look at geography as much as I do at skin type,” says Papantoniou. “The two go hand in hand—it’s all about how much pigment there is in your skin.” Get Papantoniou’s tips on choosing the right products for your unique skin type below: