UV light is light of a different spectrum than that of the visible spectrum we see every day. It works the same as any other type of light – it’s either absorbed or reflected. Darker colors absorb more light than lighter colors.
When ultraviolet light hits our skin, it has a chance to be reflected immediately by the outermost layer of skin, the stratum corneum. If the UV rays are not reflected, they move into the epidermis, or the second layer of skin. Here, your body houses a special protective pigment called melanin that is activated when it makes contact with UV rays.
The melanin reacts by darkening skin, which is how sunbathers get their tans. Skin tans no matter what color it is. People with darker skin are constantly producing melanin – it is an evolutionary trait designed to provide permanent protection from the harmful sun. Lighter skinned people produce melanin only as they need it.