FARMA DORSCH and África Directo: when photoprotection becomes hope
Some projects are unforgettable. Projects that arise from a real need and demonstrate that dermo-cosmetics can go far beyond daily skin care.
One such project was the collaboration between FARMA DORSCH and África Directo and the Community of Madrid to help protect the skin of children and people with albinism in Africa. A healthcare, human, and deeply moving initiative, in which our laboratory put its dermo-cosmetic knowledge at the service of an urgent cause: preventing severe sun damage and skin cancer in people with albinism.
Because in some places in the world, sunscreen is not just a gesture of care. It can be a tool for protection, health, and a future.
Albinism in Africa: skin extremely vulnerable to the sun
People with albinism have an absence or significant reduction of melanin, the pigment that helps protect the skin from solar radiation. This makes their skin especially sensitive to the sun and requires daily, constant, and very high protection.
In countries with intense solar radiation, such as Tanzania or Malawi, this reality becomes a major health problem. Daily exposure without adequate protection can lead to burns, severe skin lesions, and a very high risk of skin cancer.
In many cases, this physical vulnerability is compounded by a lack of access to photoprotective products, difficulty in distributing them in certain areas, and the need for preventive dermatological education.
The newspaper El País highlighted this reality in a 2014 article on the local production of photoprotectants for people with albinism in Tanzania, explaining how access to appropriate sunscreen could make an enormous difference in preventing skin cancer.
A collaboration between science, cooperation, and commitment
FARMA DORSCH began collaborating with África Directo on albinism-related programs in Malawi and Tanzania in 2009, providing technical support and dermo-cosmetic knowledge.
The objective was clear: to contribute to the development and production of high-protection photoprotectants that could reach people with albinism regularly and free of charge.
It was not just about sending products from Europe. The project sought something much more sustainable: to help create a local structure capable of producing, distributing, and monitoring the use of these photoprotectants on the ground.
Kilisun: a photoprotector designed for a real need
The Kilisun project, linked to the local production of photoprotectants for people with albinism in East Africa, was born from this collaboration.
In 2013, the Regional Dermatology Training Centre, in collaboration with África Directo, BASF, and Fridda Dorsch dermo-cosmetic laboratories, promoted the first local production of photoprotectants in East Africa for people with albinism: the Kilimanjaro Sunscreen Production Unit.
This production unit had a fundamental purpose: to ensure a regular and free supply of high-photoprotection creams through a locally managed initiative, avoiding reliance solely on the import of commercial products, which could be costly, irregular, and unsustainable.
For FARMA DORSCH, being part of this project was a way to apply our expertise in formulation, sensitive skin, and photoprotection to a reality where sun protection was a vital necessity.
An image that summarizes the impact
This image summarizes the project's impact better than any words. It shows the evolution of the skin of a child with albinism before and after incorporating the regular use of the photoprotector developed within the project.
Beyond the formula, this image speaks of prevention, consistency, and access. It speaks of what happens when science reaches those who need it most.
Traveling to the field to create real solutions
The FARMA DORSCH team also traveled to Malawi to participate in the development of the project on the ground and collaborate in the creation of laboratories destined to produce photoprotectants locally.
This part was especially important because it allowed the solution to be adapted to the local reality: climatic conditions, the needs of the population, available resources, and the importance of training local teams.
It was not a project conceived from a distance. It was an initiative built from direct contact with people, with healthcare professionals, and with organizations working every day on the ground.
Education, distribution, and follow-up
Free distribution was an essential part of the project, but not the only one. For sun protection to be truly effective, it was essential to accompany it with education: explaining how to apply the product, when to reapply it, which areas to protect with more attention, and why daily prevention was key.
The project also involved production, distribution, community work, and on-site monitoring, with the aim that photoprotection would not depend on isolated actions, but on a structure capable of maintaining and growing.
This approach made the initiative much more comprehensive than a donation: it was a public health, training, and sustainability project.
Kilisun Care in Malawi
Years later, the work continued to evolve. In 2018, África Directo published a reference to the launch of Kilisun Care in Malawi, with the Fridda Dorsch and África Directo teams planning the project in the country.
For FARMA DORSCH, this continuity demonstrates the importance of investing in projects that do not remain a one-time action, but seek to generate structure, knowledge, and local autonomy.
A story that is part of FARMA DORSCH
This project perfectly represents our way of understanding dermo-cosmetics: a science applied to skin care, but also to people's well-being.
For over 40 years, at FARMA DORSCH, we have been working to create effective, safe, and respectful formulas, especially designed for sensitive skin or those with specific needs. In this case, that experience was put at the service of a particularly vulnerable population, for whom sun protection could make an enormous difference.
Because skin is not just beauty. Skin is health, identity, protection, and life.
And this project with África Directo reminds us why we do what we do.
A commitment that continues to inspire us
Today, looking back, we feel proud and grateful to have been part of this initiative.
Proud to have been able to contribute our knowledge as a Spanish dermo-cosmetic laboratory.
Grateful to África Directo, the Community of Madrid, and all the people who made it possible for this project to reach the field.
And moved to remember every child, every family, and every local team that turned a formula into a real opportunity for protection.
At FARMA DORSCH, we believe in dermo-cosmetics with a purpose: rigorous, effective, and committed to people.
Because sometimes, a cream can be much more than a cream.