Can you present to our "OYA"?

My name is Abd Haq BENGELOUNE. I was born in Senegal to a Moroccan father and a Senegalese mother. I studied engineering in France and I specialize in biomedical, especially in skin biology.

After 5 years dedicated to research, you created the IN'OYA Laboratory; "IN" for Innovation & "OYA" in reference to the African goddess of fertility and femininity. Why did you become interested in black and matte skin?

Being myself black African, I was confronted with the despair of my sister but also of my mother in relation to their problem of hyperpigmentation, that is to say spot, which formed each time their skin was attacked (burn, acne, scarring ...). Every day, I saw my sister try a lot of products, without success. Many products exist today on the market but do not "really" take into consideration the peculiarities of black & matte skin.

What are the peculiarities of black and matte skin, compared to other skin types?

Scientifically, there is little difference between Caucasian, Asian or Negroid-type skin. In dermatology, we classify these skins according to 6 categories: from phototype I to VI. This ranking is based essentially on the ability of a skin to tan strongly, moderately or not at all. Nevertheless, given the research conducted in our laboratories, we are increasingly aware of the specificities of so-called pigmented skin, especially in their way of reacting to an aggression that is significantly different from the reaction of white skin. Thus, a pimple inflammation will result in redness on white skin and it will take a few weeks to resolve; while this same inflammation on black or matte skin will result in a black spot that will take at best 2 to 3 years to disappear.

Abd Haq BENGELOUNE, how is the IN'OYA solution innovative?

With our Research & Development team within the IN'OYA Laboratory, we have established a partnership with the CNRS, INSERM and the Faculty of Pharmacy in Marseille to develop an active ingredient that specifically blocks the enzyme responsible for albinism in black individuals, TYRP1: the MEL'OYA® technology. Thus, MEL'OYA® is the 1st "anti-stain" innovation specific to black and matte skin and especially which is the subject of a European patent application (EP2705830/A1) but also internationally (WO2014/037111/A2).

And it is therefore this MEL'OYA® TECHNOLOGY that we find in your "Anti-stain Serum" as well as in your 2 unifying treatments?

Indeed, with this technological innovation, we have formulated a range of "anti-stain" products with formidable effectiveness. Thus, 28 days are enough to remove 91% of spots under 3 years old on black and matte skin. We manage to obtain these results thanks to the specificity of the MEL'OYA® technology that blocks the enzyme specific to black and matte skin: the stain is thus removed at the source.

What is the best beauty advice you can give to our "OYA"?

In my opinion, it is essential to choose products adapted to your skin, whether it is dry, dehydrated, mixed, oily ... And above all, whatever your skin type, it is absolutely essential to clean your face morning and evening. This is the best way to have a luminous complexion, and it is simply the first step towards perfect skin.