I have a friend. She’s brown-skinned, and honestly, her skin is beautiful. But every summer, she gets noticeably darker just from being out in the sun. She always talks about how she wishes she could “stay her color” and how frustrating it is that her skin tone changes with the season.
Eventually, she started using a skin lightening cream to try to get back to the way she looked before summer. At first, I didn’t really get it. But the more we talked, the more I realized it wasn’t just about beauty. It was about feeling in control.
She said something one day that stuck with me: “I like my skin, but I hate how summer makes me feel like I’m losing myself.” That really hit me, because while everyone’s excited for sunny weather and vacations, she’s stressed about how her skin is going to change and all because of something she can’t control.
Hotter Summers, Stronger Sun
Students in my class were divided on the question of whether or not black people need sunscreen but the research is clear according to UVA health surgical oncologist, Russell Witt.MD, any skin color should use sunscreen. Now here’s the part that connects to climate change. Summers are getting hotter. The sun feels stronger, and it’s not just in our heads. It’s science. UV rays are getting more intense because of environmental changes. And if you’ve got melanin, your skin responds by getting darker even faster.
So now people, especially teens with darker skin care, are dealing with something new: they’re not just trying to protect their skin from sunburn, they’re trying to stop their skin from changing altogether, and it’s not as simple as, “Just wear sunscreen.”
I tried telling my friend that, and she said, “Sunscreen burns my eyes. I hate how it feels on my face.” Yaneska, a student in my journalism class, said the same thing: “I don’t like using sun cream because it doesn’t work for me.”
And honestly, I feel that. Some sunscreens feel heavy, or leave a weird white layer on darker skin. They’re not made for everyone. And if people don’t like how they feel, they’re just not gonna wear them.
But Why Is Skin Tone Still a Big Deal?
In class, another student, Anthony, said: “Everything is not about skin color and people should not be caring about that so much.” And I agree, in a perfect world, that would be true. But the reality is, colorism is still real. Whether we like it or not, people still treat others differently based on skin tone and that pressure shows up even in small things, like not wanting to get darker during summer.
So now we’ve got this issue where: Climate change is making sun exposure more intense, some skincare products aren’t made for all skin types, teens feel stuck between protecting their skin or changing their appearance, and there’s still social pressure about how dark is “too dark.”
We need products that are good for us. Sunscreens that don’t burn your eyes, lotion that make our skin look better, protection that actually feels good on your skin. Not heavy, not greasy, just right. And most importantly, we need stuff made with melanin in mind, by folks who actually live in brown skin every day.
