Gabrielle Union is opening up about some of the biggest baby and children’s skin-care lessons she’s learned since giving birth to daughter Kaavia James in 2018, and fans are listening and applauding.
In a new video posted to her Instagram, the actor is seen barefaced post-Oscars weekend, still in her “same wig” from the red carpet. While she applies a sheet mask, she candidly talks about how some common skin conditions in babies and children can present differently in white children and in children of color and how those differences are addressed by mass-market baby and children’s skin-care products. “One thing about motherhood, it’s full of constant surprises,” the actor writes in her caption.
Union begins by talking about what she wishes she had known before Kaavia’s birth. “I wish I knew that Black and brown kids have different skin-care needs. Diaper rash looks a lot different on children of color than it does on kids without melanin.” Union recounts the first time she saw daughter Kaavia’s diaper rash, saying she thought her child was “dying because that’s what it looked like.” According to the Mayo Clinic, diaper rash in Black and brown babies can cause hypopigmentation (lightening of the skin), versus the red and inflamed color seen on children without melanin.
Union also addresses the lack of diversity in commonly cited studies behind some of the most popular products. “When you look at a lot of the studies, most of those studies are done with groups of babies that are white, so when you see something that is deemed ‘the best for all kids,’ it’s not for all kids; it’s kids who don’t have the same amount of melanin,” she explains. Union urges child-care companies to consider the needs of all babies and children. “I think what it really comes down to is how we’re teaching folks. If you were to center the needs of melanated babies and melanated people, everyone is covered. Center us!” she says.
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