People with darker skin tones have more melanin than those with lighter skin tones. Melanin is a pigment that gives our skin, hair, and eyes their color. The more melanin you have, the darker your skin will be.
This difference in melanin levels is crucial for protection against the sun's harmful UV rays. Darker skin, with its higher melanin content, provides a greater shield against sun damage, including sunburn.
While the total melanin content in the epidermis might only differ by about two-fold between Asian and White skin, Black skin contains significantly higher levels of melanin, approximately three to six times higher.
This variation in melanin production is a key factor in the evolutionary adaptation of different populations to their respective environments.
