As the Black Skin Directory celebrates its fifth year, Vicky Eldridge speaks to founder Dija Ayodele about what’s changed and what still needs to be done in terms of inclusivity for skin of colour.
From clinical trials to medical training and representation in advertising, the aesthetics and beauty industries have traditionally been very Caucasian-centric, and this lack of inclusivity has led to a knowledge gap among professionals who lack expertise in treating Black skin or knowing where to refer patients to if something is out of their remit.
For Dija Ayodele, an award-winning aesthetician with a passion for skin health, this was not something she could ignore, so in 2018, she founded the Black Skin Directory.
The Black Skin Directory is a platform which connects Black and multicultural communities to professional and qualified skincare practitioners, shares knowledge and expertise through an information and content library focusing on skin, hair and wellness and educates the professional skincare and beauty community through its dedicated training resources.
Ayodele says,
“Before I started the Black Skin Directory, I noticed a lack of women of colour accessing professional treatments because they felt apprehensive and anxious. It was palpable. I think it’s one of those things where unless you’re from the same background, you don’t realise how much fear people have around it. I really wanted to dampen that fear, to let people know that you can actually have lasers, peels, or all these things if you go to an experienced practitioner.
“I also noticed, because I had written a few columns in magazines, that a lot of magazines were extremely heavy on the white woman’s side. There was a real lack of voices from Black women as journalists, but also in terms of including the experiences of Black women in articles. And I wanted to create this information bank where people of colour could access information written specifically in their image.
Ayodele thought the site would be a little “pet project”, something she did on the side, but once it launched, she was blown away by the demand for the content. Now five years on, the site has had a recent re-design and update, and Ayodele has gone on to author a best-selling book, Black Skin: The Definitive Skincare Guide.
Then and now
Since launching the directory, Ayodele has noticed some positive changes in the industry, particularly in terms of representation in magazines, on clinic websites and in advertising campaigns, and Ayodele thinks the pandemic has played a role. She says, “Although Covid was horrible, one thing it did was give us as an industry time to stop for a minute, and when we stopped, we had conversations with each other.
“It’s hard to have conversations when everyone’s busy and focused on the bottom line. When Covid forced us to stop, a lot of people had a chance to reframe, to think about how they want to present their businesses in the future. And it gave people that breathing gap to put new structures in place. I think that’s been really, really helpful.
“People are more receptive to seeing how the industry has unconsciously left other groups out and are more willing to have a conversation about it.
“Lots more imagery and diverse articles are coming through, and practitioners are trying to be more inclusive on their websites and social media, making sure they talk about different skin tones and how procures affect them. I’ve also seen consumers being much more aware and vocal about their needs.”
Training gaps
While many positive changes are clearly in play, there is still a way to go, particularly when it comes to training and access to treatments for people of colour within aesthetic clinics.
“I am frustrated that in 2023 we still see laser mishaps”, says Ayodele. “I still see Black women having broadband light laser and walking away with scarring. We should know by now that we should not be doing things like that on skin of colour.
“I’m well aware that, while we live in a very diverse country, not everywhere is diverse. So, if I went to a small English village, I don’t necessarily expect them to have the full ins and outs. What I do expect is that they know their limitations. They can say, as a practitioner, ‘I do not have enough experience in this, but I do know someone who does.’
“But in some cases, there is no basic knowledge. And it can be as cold as ‘We don’t do Black skin’. A client or patient will appreciate you saying, ‘I do not have that relevant experience. But I can recommend you to X instead’.”
This is something that Ayodele herself does. “In my experience, I have found that I have gained the utmost respect from clients when I have said, ‘I do not have that experience, but I do know someone who does.’ It’s never worked against me”, she says.
“I don’t do lasers in my clinic, so I send everyone to Debbie Thomas. I love Debbie. She’s treated me on and off for 10 years. That was another reason for the directory, to break this myth as well that you have to be skin of colour to treat skin of colour. Debbie is a white woman, and I know many fabulous practitioners who are of different backgrounds, who treat skin of colour because they have the experience in it, not because they’re of the same background.”
Breaking down these barriers inspired Ayodele to start offering training, and after three years of facilitating in-house workshops, she launched the Treating Skin of Colour platform in March 2022 to deliver online training to skin and beauty therapists in an accessible format available globally.
“Our aim is to normalise caring for Black and darker skin tones, to plug educational gaps and remove barriers preventing skin care professionals from treating Black and darker skin tones consumers”, she says.
The course won the Professional Initiative of the Year at this year’s Aesthetic Awards, something Ayodele is proud of.
“Since we launched the training platform, we’ve had a lot more colleges asking for bespoke training ot to put their students on it, just to increase that basic level of knowledge.
“We’ve had people in Congo, Australia, America, and all over Europe as well as the UK complete the course, and we’ve had companies buy spots for their staff. That’s why we won the award because it was so needed.”
What Ayodele would like to see going forward is more grassroots education. “I think that needs to come from colleges and universities because there’s a lot of doctors who go into dermatology or who have a medical degree who say, ‘We spent one term on dermatology, but we didn’t really cover skin of colour.’ So I would definitely like to see more grassroots education coming right from the jump upwards. That’ll make a big difference, especially with the current crop of graduates coming through.
“I would also definitely like to see the boat shaken up a bit in terms of how we present and talk about diversity to ensure that it’s not a standalone ‘other’ topic.
“Whether you do it consciously or unconsciously, why exclude a whole group that research shows has such amazing buying power but has nowhere to spend that money because they’re not made to feel welcome from the off? Whether it’s the wording you’ve used or the imagery you use. Nothing has said, ‘Come on in; you’re welcome here.’ So it’s that ownership by all of us. I think that’s the fundamental part that will make a big difference in the future.”
