Systemic racism and deep-rooted healthcare inequities in the U.S. lead to misdiagnosis and untreated conditions. This can be attributed to the lack of imagery available of conditions on Black and Brown skin.

Research published by the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology found that less than 6% of image-based search results show skin conditions on people of color. And when Black and Hispanic people don’t feel seen in search, they’re less likely to be seen by a dermatologist – leading to 25% higher mortality rates for life-threatening conditions like skin cancer.

As the brand that exists to give everybody healthy skin, Vaseline® needed to double down on its purpose. We committed to raising awareness of the racially biased systems that impact algorithmic search, providing proper representation and access to equal care, and most of all, helping these communities be seen.

See My Skin is the only database designed to search conditions on skin of color.

We aggregated thousands of images of hundreds of conditions on Black and Brown skin, building the world’s most diverse medical image library. Each image was independently evaluated for accuracy and relevance by a board of certified dermatologists.

Alongside VisualDx, software that enhances diagnostic accuracy in skin of color, we enabled people of color to see only themselves in search – for the first time ever.

With HUED, a platform that connects patients with culturally competent providers, we referred them to dermatologists who understand their skin.

Then, we galvanized our community to build the database by uploading an image of their skin conditions. Together, we broke down barriers to equitable care and did what search engines and the industry have failed to do: address the long-standing bias and exclusion of people of color in skin care.

In joining forces with VisualDx and HUED, Vaseline® developed an unparalleled search experience for people of color.

Cataloguing the world’s most diverse medical image library was a true expert collaboration between a robust network of dermatologists, medical librarians, software engineers and imaging specialists.

We aggregated thousands of images of hundreds of conditions on Black and Brown skin, each one independently evaluated for accuracy and relevance by a board of certified dermatologists.

From inception to development, it took nearly three years to create.

Now, See My Skin lives online as the only database designed to search conditions on skin of color and connect users directly to dermatologists for treatment.

Through paid search and social, it continues to reach and serve Black and Brown communities nationwide.

As part of a continued effort for greater representation, we built an upload tool allowing visitors to add an image of their diagnosed skin condition in real-time, to be vetted and added to the growing database.

In this way the database continues to grow, becoming smarter with every additional data point.

In America, race, socioeconomic status, and health have always been intrinsically linked. Black and Hispanic people experience social, economic, and political exclusion that result in poorer health. Today, people of color make up just under half of the entire U.S. population and are projected to be the majority by 2045. Yet they are still struggling to reconcile their growing numbers and influence with outdated systems that were never designed with them in mind. The disproportionate effects of the pandemic on people of color further exposed these grave disparities. Racial inequities were only amplified through the social justice movements.

This was a moment of reckoning and they demanded that brands take part. Vaseline®, a champion of true equity for Black and Brown skin since 2016, knew this was our time to expand our efforts by addressing the biases that technology perpetuates and meaningfully contribute to closing the gap in dermatological care.