Tennis Star's Suncare Brand Launches at Walmart

Walmart in April became the exclusive retailer of Kinlo, tennis star Naomi Osaka’s direct-to-consumer suncare brand, bringing the lineup of products for people with melanated skin to 2,500 of the retailer's 4,700-plus stores. In the aisles, an endcap merchandises Kinlo's new tinted sunscreens in three shades (light, medium and dark). The new products are exclusively available at Walmart and Walmart.com. The display also stocks the brand's existing face and body moistures and sun recovery spray. Walmart supported the rollout with a July 20 shoppable livestream hosted by Mia Meachem, Kinlo’s president, and dermatology director Dr. Naana Boakye. Viewers could enter a sweepstakes that awarded one winner an autographed Naomi Osaka X Takashi Murakami tennis racket, while a runner-up received a Kinlo prize package and a signed card from Osaka. Southfield, Michigan-based Merkle handled the sweeps, and TalkShopLive, Los Angeles, powered the livestream. Kinlo has supported the partnership with activity across Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Walmart also used a June 15 Twittter update to link to a Kinlo brand showcase within Walmart.com. “Growing up playing tennis, I never liked using sunscreen because of the white residue, and I assumed my natural melanin would protect me anyway, but that's not actually true,” said Osaka, who’s won four Grand Slam singles titles, in a media release. “I got a bad sunburn the first time I went to Australia, and then I started doing more research and learned that people of color have a significantly lower skin cancer survival rate. I started Kinlo to educate others about proper sun protection, no matter what they look like or where they live. Offering Kinlo products at Walmart is a huge step in bringing suncare awareness and accessibility to a national level.” Walmart has aggressively pursued exclusive partnerships with inclusive beauty and personal care brands as it seeks to cater to multicultural Gen Z women. Unilever’s Madam by Madam C.J. Walker brand of cosmetics and hair care products for Black women launched exclusively at Walmart in January, and the retailer received an exclusive Uoma by Sharon C. skincare and cosmetics line from Sharon Chuter in June 2021.

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