Angela Bassett and Dr. Barbara Strum Team up to Launch Skin Care Line For Dark-Skinned Women

article by Aria Ellise via blackamericaweb.com
Angela Bassett has been acting for over three decades, but one thing is constant: she looks great while doing it.  From her body to her skin, the wife and mother are always looking fresh in her films and appearances.  But behind the scenes, Bassett struggled with skin issues.
So, the actress has teamed up with Dr. Barbara Sturm, her friend and a well-known skincare expert, to launch a skin-care line that addresses the specific needs of women with darker complexions.
Bassett has struggled with skin issues herself, she told WWD. Initially, she used Sturm’s original line to treat her breakouts and irritations, but she realized it didn’t address skin issues that darker women deal with, such as hyperpigmentation. That’s when they decided to extend the line and after two years of research, Darker Skin Tones by Dr. Barbara Sturm came into reality.
Hyperpigmentation is characterized by a darkening of an area of skin caused by the overproduction of a pigment in the skin known as melanin.
Hyperpigmentation is the result of either of two occurrences: an abnormally high concentration of melanocytes produce melanin or when melanocytes are hyperactive. For instance, sun exposure stimulates the production of melanin. Although it can affect anyone, this condition is more prevalent among African-Americans and those of Latin descent.
Hyperpigmentation can affect any part of the body including the face, hands, and neck.
Bassett said that she wants to bring more awareness to skin care and for people, “to see what is good for it and ingredients that are helpful — not invasive or irritating. I like them to be pleased when they look in the mirror, to feel good about themselves and the condition of their complexion.”
The five-item line aims to reduce inflammations, even tones and minimize pores and hyperpigmentation. Strum said that the main ingredient in their line, purslane, works as an anti-aging agent and helps to even out the tone.
“It has such powerful properties in every direction. But what I like the most is actually the youth enzyme, this telomerase activator,” says Sturm. “The telomerase activates an enzyme to keep those ends of the chromosomes long, which actually works against natural programmed cell death, and that’s the key. So not only do we have anti-inflammation and the evening out of skin tone, but also a big thing for anti-aging.”
The product line includes a foam cleanser, enzyme cleanser, face cream, face cream rich and hyaluronic serum. The price ranges from $58 to $335 and will launch exclusively at Harrods in-store and online in July.