Wearing a Band-Aid or any generic bandage is almost a catch-22 for many people of color. We want to cover our wounds, but at the same time it’d be nice to cover them discretely, especially if the wound is on our face. But, finding a bandage that matches our skin tone isn’t an option at many drug stores. Aside from a pale beige, our only other options are Superman and clear.
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This news might ruin it for those who like to wear three Band-Aids to cover a scratch, just to have someone ask, “What’s wrong?” But for those who are interested in purchasing bandages made with them in mind, we found this little gem: Tru-Colour Bandages.
Tru-Colour Bandages
Toby Meisenheimer, the CEO and co-founder of Tru-Colour Bandages, was inspired to create Tru-Colour after using a “skin-tone” bandage on his adoptive son’s forehead. It wasn’t until then that he realized skin tone Band-Aids were made “for only one type of skin.” His son is African-American.
“It stuck out like a sore thumb,” Meisenheimer told The Huffington Post.
“I can’t believe I survived 38 years without noticing that bandages came in a cartoon format or for only one type of skin. That’s just not right. We started Tru-Colour Bandages to change this industry for the better. Everyone deserves a bandage that matches their skin tone,” said Meisenheimer.
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Tru-Colour represents #BandageEquality and prides itself on producing flexible, sterile and long-lasting bandages. They were featured in the January 2016 issue of O! Magazine and have also been featured on Buzzfeed and Blavity.
According to their website, Tru-Colour bandages are sold in resealable waterproof bags and their lightest color is still darker than the average “skin-tone” bandage. Each bag includes 30 bandages (15 medium and 15 large). The green bag carries the lightest color. Orange is a medium brown color and purple is the deepest brown they carry. They start at $6 per bag.
Their bandages, according to Tru-Colour, reduce crying by 47% of the time within 40 seconds of application. They also claim they are the only company that has been committed to matching the skin tones of the world. This is slightly true.
Ebon-Aide
In the late 1990s, Michael Panayiotis created the Ebon-Aide with the slogan “The bandage exclusively designed for people of color.” The Ebon-Aide was sold in multiple colors, including black licorice, coffee brown, cinnamon and honey beige, according to The Atlantic.
Panayiotis invested two million dollars into Ebon-Aide. He also scored a major deal with retail giants, like Walmart and Rite Aide. But, after selling only 20 thousand (of one million) bandages, the company went bankrupt. Panayiotis believes the Ebon-Aide didn’t do well because it was placed next to other products that were marketed to African Americans, as opposed to being in the health aid aisle.
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According to the Atlantic, the marketing consultant who represented Johnson & Johnson’s Band-Aid brand between 1963 and 1968 said skin-tone Band-Aids were a non-issue during those years. Perhaps, Panayiotis was before his time.
Tru-Colour Bandages are available here.
