Skip to main content
Top Ten

How to Choose Beauty Products According to Ethnicity and Skin Type

Jen Jones Donatelli
Writer and expert7 years ago
View Jen Jones Donatelli's profile

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:

    Jen Jones Donatelli
    Writer and expert
    View Jen Jones Donatelli's profile
    Jen Jones Donatelli is a Los Angeles-based journalist who specializes in all things lifestyle and wellness. To date, her work has appeared in outlets including REDBOOK, Natural Health, Livestrong, Pilates Style, Whole Life Times and many more. When not writing, she can be found hanging and exploring LA with her husband, twin babies and adorable mutt Tanner.
    dermstore