Halle Berry, Aretha Franklin, Iman. That aunt who looks like she found the fountain of youth. We’ve always known black women age gracefully; now there’s proof. Olay studied the skin aging process in women from different races from their 20s to their 70s.

The Multi-Decade and Ethnicity (MDE) study, led by Dr Alexa Kimball from Harvard Medical School, discovered that black women really do age slower than white women. There’s about a decade’s difference between them, in fact. If you think they just chose two or three women, think again. They actually examined 350 women from four ethnic groups spanning six decades.

“Women of African-American background aged slower than women of Caucasian background as far as skin appearance was concerned. In fact, the aging process seemed to be slowed down by about 10 years.” Olay principal scientist, Dr. Frauke Neuser

So, why is it that black women age slower? It’s still not 100% clear, but a major reason is that black women have a higher melanin content, which also acts as natural protection from UV rays. Now, African American women do experience visible aging. It’s just at a (much) slower pace than the other skin types.

Olay plans to use the research findings to help more women to look younger for longer through its products.

Now, what does this all mean?

If you’re a black woman and you take good care of your body, you’re going to age just like a fine wine while others become all wrinkly and look their age.

The gift of youthfulness is something to appreciate. After all, once you look old, there’s no going back. So don’t be afraid to flaunt your looks, and definitely don’t be afraid to throw this fact at anyone who’s listening.

Let the world know you’re beautiful and you’ll remain beautiful for a long, long time. Oh, and you might be the secret to a new age of skin care products.

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