Vaseline has created a searchable online platform to identify dermatological conditions on skin of color to help provide more equitable access to medical care.
"See My Skin" is a collaborative effort between Vaseline, digital health startup HUED and medical informatics company VisualDx. The platform is part of Vaseline’s "Equitable Skincare for All" program that aims to improve skin healthcare outcomes for people of color. The platform taps into VisualDx’s API and image database and pairs people of color with "culturally competent" dermatologists through HUED.
Users are encouraged to submit their own images of previously diagnosed skin conditions to help expand the database. All content is verified by Vaseline’s Dermatology Review Board, the company said in a press release. As part of the launch, Vaseline has also released a limited-edition Vaseline Healing Jelly with a QR code that directs consumers to resources including the See My Skin platform. See My Skin also offers educational resources on how to treat and monitor skin at home, when to seek care and how to prepare for an appointment.
“People of color are negatively impacted by healthcare inequities that can lead to worse health outcomes, including caring for their skin. Whether it’s looking for answers in search, on social media, or even in textbooks—the results that resemble their skin are scarce, which can leave us feeling unseen and underrepresented,” Kevin Tolson, brand director of US Skincare for Unilever (the owner of Vaseline), said in a press release. “We created See My Skin so that people with melanin-rich skin could finally see skin conditions on themselves.”
Vaseline originally partnered with HUED on a dermatologist finder tool in 2020. It also partners with Medscape to fund the development of continuing medical education for treating skin of color.