We’re already in September, and this time it feels like the perfect moment to open a new chapter within this blog series. Not just a new topic, but one that has been on my mind for a long time: the underrepresentation of the melanin rich skin in the beauty and skincare industry.

Not from frustration, and certainly not from a place of victimhood. But from a deep desire to create change. To educate, to illuminate, and to build awareness. Because it starts with us.

Why now? Because I feel it’s allowed. Because it’s necessary.
At The Melanin Clinic®, I’ve been working with melanin rich skin for years. These days I’m no longer active in the treatment room myself, but for a long time I worked with my hands on the skin. And trust me: that does something to you. You literally touch someone — and often their story, their vulnerability, their trust.

Online, it’s different. More distant. But that doesn’t make it any less meaningful.
In fact, I see how deeply this conversation is needed. We’re building something together that goes beyond a brand. The responses to the Melanin Moments blogs, the heartfelt emails we receive, the recognition, the questions. It shows that we are also a community online — one that needs knowledge, understanding, and space. And that’s what I want to offer.

That’s why this month I’m taking you into a topic that moves me and drives me:
Why is melanin rich skin still structurally overlooked?

From treatment room to classroom

When I was still working daily in the treatment room, something stood out to me very quickly:
so many women and men with melanin rich skin walked in with the same frustrations.
“I’ve tried everything.”
“No one understands my skin.”
“They told me I wasn’t suitable for treatments.”

And each time I thought: how can it be that so many people feel unseen in a world that revolves around ‘skincare’?

It became even more painfully clear when I was recently invited to give a guest lecture at the ROC (Dutch vocational college). A classroom full of third-year students, all preparing for a future in the beauty industry. Smart, curious, motivated. But when I asked what they knew about melanin rich skin, the room fell silent. Not because they didn’t want to learn, but because the curriculum simply doesn’t include it.

There are literally skin types they have never been taught about.
Skin reactions that are never discussed.
Ingredients that are never explained in relation to darker skin.
And yet these students will soon be working with all skin types.

That moment hit me. Because if we don’t give future professionals a complete understanding of melanin rich skin, how can we expect the industry to change?

Visibility doesn’t happen by accident

The underrepresentation of the melanin rich skin doesn’t start with the client.
It starts much earlier: in the textbooks, in product research, in the marketing teams who decide which skin types are “representative” enough for campaigns.

For a long time, the standard in the beauty world has been based on lighter skin types. Not always intentionally, but the impact has been structural. From ingredients tested predominantly on lighter skin, to lasers designed for Fitzpatrick 1 to 3. From training materials showing only one type of pigmentation, to makeup brands that only added darker shades after being pressured.

And although progress has been made (and let’s acknowledge that), too often melanin rich skin types are still seen as “difficult,” “sensitive,” or “not suitable for everything.”
And it’s not only about treatments. It’s also about the fact that many people simply don’t see themselves reflected in the education, the communication, or the expertise being shared.

And that is exactly why this topic matters so much.
Because when you don’t see yourself represented in knowledge, in communication, or in the products available, you don’t feel recognized.
Yet melanin rich skin absolutely requires its own approach, its own expertise, and visibility — not as an exception, but as part of the standard.

In my role as educator, founder and formulator, I keep digging deeper. Because the more you learn about melanin rich skin, the clearer it becomes: there is no one-size-fits-all. What works for one person can harm another.
And that’s exactly why we deserve more than superficial attention.
We deserve knowledge that is accurate. Ingredients that truly work. Treatments that understand where our skin comes from — literally and figuratively.

What can you expect from this series?

With this blog, I’m kicking off a new chapter within Melanin Moments — one where we dig a little deeper.
Not into the pores this time, but into the system itself.
Because this month, I want to reflect with you on how melanin rich skin has been overlooked for so many years, and what we can do about it.
Not from a place of victimhood, but from a place of knowledge, nuance and leadership.

Over the coming weeks, I’ll dive into three themes:

🌿 Why dominant skincare knowledge often isn’t written for our skin, and how that happened.
📚 What students (still) aren’t taught about melanin rich skin — and why that’s a problem.
🧴 How we can work together to ensure melanin rich skin is no longer the exception, but part of the standard.

My hope?
That this series doesn’t just make you think, but inspires you. Because when you understand yourself better, you can choose better, ask better questions, and create change.

Keep learning, keep glowing —
until the next Melanin Moment! 💛

With love,
Angela