John Legend's career runs on consistency. Every night, in every city, under stage lights that dry out skin in ways most people never experience — his skin has to perform. And for most of that career, he tried what was available: the 10-step prestige routines, the clinical brands, the affordable drugstore options. Some worked. Most were either too expensive to use generously or too harsh to use every day. None were built with his skin specifically in mind.
That is not a small complaint. It is, as it turns out, a market-level failure.
The Problem He Was Trying to Solve
Melanin-rich skin has specific, well-documented needs. Lower ceramide levels than lighter skin tones. Greater susceptibility to post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation. A naturally lower skin pH that requires pH-compatible products to maintain. And a long history of being formulated for as an afterthought — or not at all.
As John Legend told E! Online at launch: "Far too often, those skin types are ignored, understudied or under-researched when it comes to developing and formulating skincare products." This wasn't a positioning statement. It was a description of the industry as it existed.
And then there was the pricing problem. When products formulated well for darker skin tones did exist, they were usually prestige — priced at the top of the market, in small quantities, sold in channels that don't serve every community equally. As he put it to Cosmopolitan: "There's a wealth gap. We couldn't price the products in a way that a lot of Black and Brown people couldn't afford knowing that there's an income gap."
Why a Dermatologist Had to Be Part of It
Loved01 was co-developed with Dr. Naana Boakye, a board-certified dermatologist who understands melanin-rich skin from clinical practice, not just marketing strategy. Her involvement is not a credential attached to packaging. The formulations reflect her expertise: pH-balanced to protect the acid mantle, built around sea buckthorn and rosehip oil for barrier support and gentle anti-inflammatory action, and calibrated to be gentle enough for daily use on sensitive and reactive skin.
This distinction matters. "Dermatologist-recommended" as a claim is widely applied and largely meaningless — it can mean a single dermatologist reviewed the packaging. Loved01's formulations were developed with a dermatologist. The difference is the direction of the involvement: input into the formula, not a sign-off on the label.
As Essence reported, the brand works with "a great dermatologist who is a Black woman" and "a great testing lab run by a Black woman" — representation not just in messaging, but in the scientific and testing infrastructure behind the products.
The Name: What It Means
Loved01. John Legend has explained it multiple ways, all of which point to the same place. It is an expression of self-care as an act of love — for yourself, and for the people you share a routine with. He has talked about bathroom rituals as among the most intimate moments in a relationship. He and Chrissy Teigen have been together for years, and the small daily acts — the shared products, the routines — are part of that.
"The whole ethos behind Loved01 is not just self-care and self-love but also sharing that ritual with the people you love," he told E! Online. "01" is a reference to the people you love first.
What Loved01 Is and Is Not
Celebrity beauty brands fall into two categories: the ones where a public figure lends their name to a product line someone else built, and the ones where a founder identified a real problem and built a product to solve it. The former are endorsements. The latter are origin stories.
Loved01 is the latter. As Fast Company put it, Legend didn't want the brand to be "merely a celebrity endorsement but an answer to a marketplace need that hadn't been adequately addressed." The products are sold at $9–$15, not because they're cheap, but because that was the intentional decision: "We wanted to make something that felt luxurious, so we put all of the care and intention of a luxury brand into it, but made it affordable and accessible."
The Credentials That Came After
- Allure Best of Beauty 2023 — Face + Body Oil, one of the most competitive editorial honors in beauty
- Oprah's Favorite Things 2024 — Hand Care Duo selected by Oprah's editorial team
- Essence, Cosmopolitan, E! Online, Good Morning America, Business of Fashion — all covered the brand at launch and beyond
- Featured at the Business of Fashion Global Beauty Forum 2023 under the theme "Overlooked and Underserved: From Minority to Majority"
What the Brand Stands For Going Forward
At the Business of Fashion Global Beauty Forum in 2023, John Legend and Ari Bloom (co-founder and CEO of A-Frame Brands) spoke under the theme "Overlooked and Underserved: From Minority to Majority." Legend's framing was straightforward: "If we're claiming to create a product that is addressing an underserved and overlooked community, but we're making it so a bunch of folks can't afford it within that community, then what's the point of it?"
Loved01's road forward reflects that. The brand earned Oprah's Favorite Things in 2024 — the Hand Care Duo. It has expanded its line to address concerns that matter to its core audience. It is built on the idea that melanin-rich skin deserves the same standard of care as any skin, at a price that doesn't require a second thought before reaching for it.
That is the story. Not endorsement. Origin.
What Customers Are Saying
New beginnings!
"I've never had products that were so subtly different for my type of skin and my husband loves it as well! We are Mexican and Black and this has been a new beginning for us at 75 years young!"
— Marie ★★★★★
"I love the way it makes my skin feel — there is very little skin care that I can use. And this is by far the best."
— Tina Zellner ★★★★★
"Amazing Amazing Amazing is all I can say, and well, maybe that everything feels great on my skin — light, fluffy, refreshing."
— Barron C.L. ★★★★★
Frequently Asked Questions
Is John Legend personally involved in Loved01?
Yes — Legend co-founded the brand and was involved in the development process, not just the marketing. He identified the gap (well-formulated skincare at accessible prices for melanin-rich skin), selected Dr. Naana Boakye as the dermatologist partner, and set the pricing philosophy. The brand's products reflect his personal skincare needs and values, not just his name.
Who is Dr. Naana Boakye and what is her role?
Dr. Naana Boakye is a board-certified dermatologist who co-developed the Loved01 product line. Her expertise in melanin-rich skin informed the formulation decisions — pH balance, botanical actives, gentle enough for daily use. She is not an endorser; she is part of the founding formulation team.
Why are Loved01 products priced under $15?
John Legend's stated reason: he wanted to address the wealth gap. Well-formulated skincare for melanin-rich skin has historically been expensive and inaccessible. Setting prices at $9–$15 was a deliberate decision to make the products available to the community they were designed for — not a reflection of lower quality.
What press has Loved01 received?
Loved01 has received editorial coverage from Allure (Best of Beauty 2023), Oprah's Favorite Things 2024, Essence, Cosmopolitan, E! Online, Good Morning America, Fast Company, POPSUGAR, Bustle, Business of Fashion, and NewBeauty, among others.
For a deeper look at how Loved01 products are formulated and what makes them different from other options at the same price point, read the Loved01 total body care philosophy.
New to the brand and wondering if it will work for your skin type? Start with the science: skincare for melanin-rich skin explained.
