This Skincare Brand Is Made Especially For Darker Skin Tones – We Tried It And This Is What Happened

They claim to put the me in melanin, but what do we think?

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If you're into your skincare, you may have heard of 4.5.6 – the luxe skincare brand dedicated to making custom routines for melanin-rich skin.

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Founded in the heart of the French Cosmetic Valley, 4.5.6 has used melanin driven skincare science to create products tailored specifically to darker skin tones. Their mission is to close the skincare race gap by using high-quality ingredients formulated to cater to the needs of all different types of melanin-rich skin.

Well, when we heard about 4.5.6, we had to give it a go to see if it lived up to the hype.

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We decided to try out The All-Star Set, which includes six products tailor-made for next-level skin restoration. Each set is customised based on phototype, skin type, and general skin concerns, and you can choose whether or not the products are fragranced (we both chose fragrance-free). The set costs £189.00, but each product is also available to buy individually.

Hanifah

Seasoned / BuzzFeed

I’ve never really thought about skin tone being a factor when it comes to choosing skin care products, so I find the concept of 4.5.6 pretty innovative.

I have combination skin, and although I’ve tried out loads of different routines and apparent “holy grail” products, I’ve reached a point where I find that less is more. My daily routine consists of Glossier Milk Jelly Cleanser, Bio Oil (an oldie, but a goodie), and Glossier’s Invisible Shield Sunscreen. From time to time, I’ll throw in a Dr. Jart+ sheet mask, but that’s not a regular part of my daily routine.

Dark spots left from pimples and uneven tone are things I’m always trying to improve, and I think they’re quite common for people with my skin tone, so I’m hoping that the routine includes products that’ll make a difference to these areas. My skin can be quite sensitive so I’m hoping the products are mild and don’t cause a rash or break outs...

Ada

Ada Enechi

I like the concept of 4.5.6 because I never thought about skincare needing to be tailored to darker skin, but of course, why wouldn’t it need to be?!

I have what I think is combination skin – it’s inherently dry but I sweat a ridiculous amount. My usual routine is; Simple Moisturising Facial Wash, Simple Kind To Skin Purifying Cleansing Lotion, Dr.Jart+ Ceramidin Serum, Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream, and Simple Vital Vitamin Day Cream SPF. I do face masks maybe once a week.

I’m looking forward to trying something new because I need to step out of my comfort zone, but I’m a bit scared I’m going to break out, since I've been doing the same routine for about five years. I’m hoping my skin evens out when I use the products, because I feel like I have about four different shades on my face.

Come Clean Cleansing Oil

4.5.6

Ada:

I’ve never used a cleansing oil and tbh, it doesn’t make sense to me – how does oil cleanse?! The packaging is really nice, but it’s also made of glass, so if you’re accident prone like me this is a risk. The product itself looks super cute and it has no fragrance which is great, as I can’t stand having fragranced products.

It felt oily and thick which is what I’d expect from any kind of oil. It wasn't oily in a gross way, it was just oil. It was soothing to put on and it felt like I was giving my face a massage, so I would use it regularly – it’s a really nice first step into a routine.

Hanifah:

The frosted glass packaging makes this look pretty luxurious, and the texture of the oil feels very rich – it’s super thick and dense. It’s fragrance-free, but it has a mild scent to it – it just smells clean.

I loved how this felt on my skin and it was so good at taking my makeup off! I basically put this directly on my eyelids and it dissolved my mascara in what felt like seconds, and it didn’t sting my eyes at all. I can’t stand washing my face and then having to go back a second time to get rid of leftover makeup, so I’ll definitely be using this again.

Individual price: £28.00

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Green Bae Cleansing Gel

4.5.6

Hanifah:

I loved the smell of this one – it made me feel like I was skipping through a meadow or something. It’s completely different to Come Clean – it wasn’t oily at all and has a more traditional soapy texture. It left my skin feeling super clean, to the point where I felt like I needed to moisturise immediately if I didn’t want to risk shrivelling up. I liked it, but it also felt a little unnecessary to have to cleanse a second time – if I was tailoring the routine to myself, I think I’d alternate between Green Bae and Come Clean because I don’t think I needed both.

Ada:

Again, glass is a hazard but I do like the packaging and the colour, the green isn’t off-putting and it’s actually pretty calming.

I loved the way this felt, I got a proper lather but it didn’t bubble up for ages, so I knew exactly when it was time to stop and rinse. I felt really cleansed when I was done – squeaky clean. I think it really got into my skin and it made me feel very refreshed afterwards.

Individual price: £25.00

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To Be Clear Exfoliating Mask

4.5.6

Ada:

My initial thoughts were: this is going to mess up my skin. I have pretty sensitive skin so any kind of scrub type product always causes a reaction.

When I put it on, my skin had an immediate reaction – within a minute my face was tingling and generally not having a great time, and then I had a rash for two days afterwards. So as you can imagine, it's no from me dawg.

Hanifah:

I was apprehensive about this one – it’s been a while since I’ve used any kind of manual exfoliant on my face, and I’ve steered clear of grainy products ever since I learned about micro-tears.

But as soon as I put this on my face, I knew it was different to anything I tried before – the grains were way smaller than anything I’ve tried before, and when I put it on didn’t feel like it was shredding my skin at all.

Unlike Ada, I didn’t notice any tingling, but the day after I used To Be Clear, I discovered a few tiny bumps on my forehead. They disappeared after a couple of days, but I think my skin is just too sensitive to use this regularly – I’d maybe incorporate this into my routine once a month if I felt like I needed a little exfoliation boost.

Individual price: £52.00

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Tonic Oh! Treatment Lotion

4.5.6

Ada:
The colour of this one is pretty eye-catching – It’s definitely the most aesthetically pleasing product in the set. It felt pretty light, and despite being really sticky, it's one of the best tonics I’ve used. The formula absorbed right up into the skin and I could see a noticeable difference straight away.

Hanifah:

While I liked the results, I wasn’t the biggest fan of the application process of this one – it was just far too sticky for my liking. That being said, 4.5.6 weren’t lying about the “instant glow” that it gives – I could literally see the difference. I had to spend a good couple of minutes massaging this into my face before it stopped feeling slimy, and as someone who likes to get their routine done nice and quickly, this wasn’t ideal for me.

Individual price: £48.00

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Sevenly Delight Brightening Concentrated Serum

4.5.6

Ada:

This was really light and a little bit went a long way – the texture of this wasn’t what I was expecting for a serum, but then again the serums I use are super cheap, so maybe this is how they’re supposed to feel. I wouldn’t be opposed to adding this to my nigh time routine, but I didn’t feel like it was doing THAT much.

Hanifah:

As someone with spot scars, brightening serums are right up my street, and I loved how this felt on my skin. Unlike other serums I’ve tried, it really felt like it was working its way into my skin, rather than just sitting on top of it. I sometimes worry that “brightening” products will lighten my overall skin tone, so I appreciate that 4.5.6 make a point that the aim of Sevenly Delight is to fade dark spots and brighten, rather than lighten the skin. I obviously didn’t use it long enough to see any huge changes, but this was easily my favourite product of the bunch and I’ll definitely be adding this into my regular routine (but with the price tag, I will be using it sparingly)!

Individual price: £65.00

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Day Hack Matte Moisturiser

4.5.6

Hanifah:

If someone told me this was a face mask, I would believe them. It’s so thick!!! You have to work fast with this one – if you don’t rub it in right away, it just sits on your skin. It was a complete facial barrier, and while I like my skin to be protected from the elements, it kind of felt like I had a film on my face, which took some getting used to. On the plus side, my face looked just as nourished at the end of the day as it did right after I put it on, so I’d say it’s something I’ll be using when I’m busy and don’t want to have to think about my face drying out.

Ada:

So I dropped this one, which is why I said glass packaging is risky. But the packaging is so thick that even though it smashed on the outside, it didn’t do anything to the product so I could still use it.

It kind of smelled like clay, and looked like it wouldn’t transparently absorb into Black skin, but trust me, it did. It’s super thick and a little really goes a long way. It’s a very good moisturiser and lasted all day, but because I tend to sweat a lot, I found it a little too thick for my skin.

Individual price: £55.00

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The final results:

Seasoned / BuzzFeed

I like the steps, I always like a lot of steps in my skin care because it reminds me that it’s a process that shouldn’t be rushed, and also just helps me relax into my day or wind me down for the evening.

My favourite product was the Come Clean Cleansing Oil – I love the way it felt so soothing and was a great way to kick the entire process off.

I think my skin tone is definitely evening and the scar on my chin has reduced, which is a good sign that after a couple of weeks a lot more will change. I will continue with the products because I feel that you really can’t see anything within a week, so I’ll keep going until they’re finished and make a better judgment call.

Seasoned / BuzzFeed

I don’t mind a longer routine but I feel like some of the steps (like the double cleansing) were a little bit unnecessary. 4.5.6 is the priciest skincare brand that I've used before and it showed – the products felt really luxurious and the entire process felt a proper treat, which I loved – I think I’ll incorporate some of them into my regime, but won’t be using all of them in my daily routine.

Overall, my face generally feels more moisturised, but I think using all six products two times a day is a bit of an overload for my sensitive skin. Even though it’s not been long, I can see my spot scars starting to fade and I think I can thank Sevenly Delight for that, so I can firmly say that that’s now a staple in my routine. As for the rest, I think I’ll just use them as and when I feel like my face needs a little extra love.

Want to try 4.5.6 yourself? Enter our exclusive code BUZZFEED20 at the checkout for 20% off everything, including sets. And you can watch our 4.5.6 skincare journey below!

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