diff --git a/tests/conftest.py b/tests/conftest.py
index 8d3a4f3f..39904ae2 100644
--- a/tests/conftest.py
+++ b/tests/conftest.py
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 """Pytest fixtures."""
 
 from collections.abc import Callable
+from contextlib import suppress
 from functools import wraps
 from types import ModuleType
 from typing import ParamSpec, TypeVar, cast
@@ -36,7 +37,9 @@ def library(request: pytest.FixtureRequest) -> Backend:  # numpydoc ignore=PR01,
             msg = "argument of skip_xp_backend must be a Backend enum"
             raise TypeError(msg)
         if skip_library == elem:
-            reason = cast(str, marker.kwargs.get("reason", "skip_xp_backend"))
+            reason = skip_library.value
+            with suppress(KeyError):
+                reason += ":" + cast(str, marker.kwargs["reason"])
             pytest.skip(reason=reason)
 
     return elem
diff --git a/tests/test_at.py b/tests/test_at.py
index 49abe0e4..4bd09c6a 100644
--- a/tests/test_at.py
+++ b/tests/test_at.py
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ def assert_copy(array: Array, copy: bool | None) -> Generator[None, None, None]:
 
 
 @pytest.mark.skip_xp_backend(
-    Backend.SPARSE, reason="sparse:read-only backend without .at support"
+    Backend.SPARSE, reason="read-only backend without .at support"
 )
 @pytest.mark.parametrize(
     ("kwargs", "expect_copy"),
diff --git a/tests/test_funcs.py b/tests/test_funcs.py
index 692d486b..4847cb9f 100644
--- a/tests/test_funcs.py
+++ b/tests/test_funcs.py
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@
 # mypy: disable-error-code=no-untyped-usage
 
 
-@pytest.mark.skip_xp_backend(Backend.SPARSE, reason="sparse:no expand_dims")
+@pytest.mark.skip_xp_backend(Backend.SPARSE, reason="no expand_dims")
 class TestAtLeastND:
     def test_0D(self, xp: ModuleType):
         x = xp.asarray(1.0)
@@ -98,7 +98,7 @@ def test_xp(self, xp: ModuleType):
         xp_assert_equal(y, x)
 
 
-@pytest.mark.skip_xp_backend(Backend.SPARSE, reason="sparse:no isdtype")
+@pytest.mark.skip_xp_backend(Backend.SPARSE, reason="no isdtype")
 class TestCov:
     def test_basic(self, xp: ModuleType):
         xp_assert_close(
@@ -137,9 +137,7 @@ def test_device(self, xp: ModuleType, device: Device):
         x = xp.asarray([1, 2, 3], device=device)
         assert get_device(cov(x)) == device
 
-    @pytest.mark.skip_xp_backend(
-        Backend.NUMPY_READONLY, reason="numpy_readonly:explicit xp"
-    )
+    @pytest.mark.skip_xp_backend(Backend.NUMPY_READONLY, reason="explicit xp")
     def test_xp(self, xp: ModuleType):
         xp_assert_close(
             cov(xp.asarray([[0.0, 2.0], [1.0, 1.0], [2.0, 0.0]]).T, xp=xp),
@@ -147,7 +145,7 @@ def test_xp(self, xp: ModuleType):
         )
 
 
-@pytest.mark.skip_xp_backend(Backend.SPARSE, reason="sparse:no device kwarg in asarray")
+@pytest.mark.skip_xp_backend(Backend.SPARSE, reason="no device")
 class TestCreateDiagonal:
     def test_1d(self, xp: ModuleType):
         # from np.diag tests
@@ -193,10 +191,10 @@ def test_xp(self, xp: ModuleType):
         xp_assert_equal(y, xp.asarray([[1, 0], [0, 2]]))
 
 
-@pytest.mark.skip_xp_backend(Backend.SPARSE, reason="sparse:no expand_dims")
+@pytest.mark.skip_xp_backend(Backend.SPARSE, reason="no expand_dims")
 class TestExpandDims:
-    @pytest.mark.skip_xp_backend(Backend.DASK, reason="dask:tuple index out of range")
-    @pytest.mark.skip_xp_backend(Backend.TORCH, reason="torch:tuple index out of range")
+    @pytest.mark.skip_xp_backend(Backend.DASK, reason="tuple index out of range")
+    @pytest.mark.skip_xp_backend(Backend.TORCH, reason="tuple index out of range")
     def test_functionality(self, xp: ModuleType):
         def _squeeze_all(b: Array) -> Array:
             """Mimics `np.squeeze(b)`. `xpx.squeeze`?"""
@@ -254,7 +252,7 @@ def test_xp(self, xp: ModuleType):
         assert y.shape == (1, 1, 1, 3)
 
 
-@pytest.mark.skip_xp_backend(Backend.SPARSE, reason="sparse:no expand_dims")
+@pytest.mark.skip_xp_backend(Backend.SPARSE, reason="no expand_dims")
 class TestKron:
     def test_basic(self, xp: ModuleType):
         # Using 0-dimensional array
@@ -351,9 +349,7 @@ def test_xp(self, xp: ModuleType):
         xp_assert_equal(nunique(a, xp=xp), xp.asarray(3))
 
 
-@pytest.mark.skip_xp_backend(
-    Backend.SPARSE, reason="sparse:no arange, no device kwarg in asarray"
-)
+@pytest.mark.skip_xp_backend(Backend.SPARSE, reason="no arange, no device")
 class TestPad:
     def test_simple(self, xp: ModuleType):
         a = xp.arange(1, 4)
@@ -403,8 +399,8 @@ def test_list_of_tuples_width(self, xp: ModuleType):
         assert padded.shape == (4, 4)
 
 
-@pytest.mark.skip_xp_backend(Backend.DASK, reason="dask:no argsort")
-@pytest.mark.skip_xp_backend(Backend.SPARSE, reason="sparse:no device kwarg in asarray")
+@pytest.mark.skip_xp_backend(Backend.DASK, reason="no argsort")
+@pytest.mark.skip_xp_backend(Backend.SPARSE, reason="no device kwarg in asarray")
 class TestSetDiff1D:
     @pytest.mark.skip_xp_backend(
         Backend.TORCH, reason="index_select not implemented for uint32"
@@ -440,9 +436,7 @@ def test_device(self, xp: ModuleType, device: Device):
         x2 = xp.asarray([2, 3, 4], device=device)
         assert get_device(setdiff1d(x1, x2)) == device
 
-    @pytest.mark.skip_xp_backend(
-        Backend.NUMPY_READONLY, reason="numpy_readonly:explicit xp"
-    )
+    @pytest.mark.skip_xp_backend(Backend.NUMPY_READONLY, reason="explicit xp")
     def test_xp(self, xp: ModuleType):
         x1 = xp.asarray([3, 8, 20])
         x2 = xp.asarray([2, 3, 4])
@@ -451,7 +445,7 @@ def test_xp(self, xp: ModuleType):
         xp_assert_equal(actual, expected)
 
 
-@pytest.mark.skip_xp_backend(Backend.SPARSE, reason="sparse:no isdtype")
+@pytest.mark.skip_xp_backend(Backend.SPARSE, reason="no isdtype")
 class TestSinc:
     def test_simple(self, xp: ModuleType):
         xp_assert_equal(sinc(xp.asarray(0.0)), xp.asarray(1.0))
diff --git a/tests/test_testing.py b/tests/test_testing.py
index 41fc6673..dc315663 100644
--- a/tests/test_testing.py
+++ b/tests/test_testing.py
@@ -17,9 +17,7 @@
         xp_assert_equal,
         pytest.param(
             xp_assert_close,
-            marks=pytest.mark.skip_xp_backend(
-                Backend.SPARSE, reason="sparse:no isdtype"
-            ),
+            marks=pytest.mark.skip_xp_backend(Backend.SPARSE, reason="no isdtype"),
         ),
     ],
 )
@@ -40,19 +38,15 @@ def test_assert_close_equal_basic(xp: ModuleType, func: Callable[..., None]):  #
         func(xp.asarray([1, 2]), xp.asarray([1, 3]), err_msg="hello")
 
 
-@pytest.mark.skip_xp_backend(Backend.NUMPY, reason="numpy:test other ns vs. numpy")
-@pytest.mark.skip_xp_backend(
-    Backend.NUMPY_READONLY, reason="numpy_readonly:test other ns vs. numpy"
-)
+@pytest.mark.skip_xp_backend(Backend.NUMPY, reason="test other ns vs. numpy")
+@pytest.mark.skip_xp_backend(Backend.NUMPY_READONLY, reason="test other ns vs. numpy")
 @pytest.mark.parametrize(
     "func",
     [
         xp_assert_equal,
         pytest.param(
             xp_assert_close,
-            marks=pytest.mark.skip_xp_backend(
-                Backend.SPARSE, reason="sparse:no isdtype"
-            ),
+            marks=pytest.mark.skip_xp_backend(Backend.SPARSE, reason="no isdtype"),
         ),
     ],
 )
@@ -65,7 +59,7 @@ def test_assert_close_equal_namespace(xp: ModuleType, func: Callable[..., None])
         func(xp.asarray([0]), [0])
 
 
-@pytest.mark.skip_xp_backend(Backend.SPARSE, reason="sparse:no isdtype")
+@pytest.mark.skip_xp_backend(Backend.SPARSE, reason="no isdtype")
 def test_assert_close_tolerance(xp: ModuleType):
     xp_assert_close(xp.asarray([100.0]), xp.asarray([102.0]), rtol=0.03)
     with pytest.raises(AssertionError):
diff --git a/tests/test_utils.py b/tests/test_utils.py
index f053f177..fff3f0f2 100644
--- a/tests/test_utils.py
+++ b/tests/test_utils.py
@@ -12,9 +12,9 @@
 
 
 class TestIn1D:
-    @pytest.mark.skip_xp_backend(Backend.DASK, reason="dask:no argsort")
+    @pytest.mark.skip_xp_backend(Backend.DASK, reason="no argsort")
     @pytest.mark.skip_xp_backend(
-        Backend.SPARSE, reason="sparse:no unique_inverse, no device kwarg in asarray"
+        Backend.SPARSE, reason="no unique_inverse, no device kwarg in asarray"
     )
     # cover both code paths
     @pytest.mark.parametrize("n", [9, 15])
@@ -25,19 +25,15 @@ def test_no_invert_assume_unique(self, xp: ModuleType, n: int):
         actual = in1d(x1, x2)
         xp_assert_equal(actual, expected)
 
-    @pytest.mark.skip_xp_backend(
-        Backend.SPARSE, reason="sparse: no device kwarg in asarray"
-    )
+    @pytest.mark.skip_xp_backend(Backend.SPARSE, reason="no device kwarg in asarray")
     def test_device(self, xp: ModuleType, device: Device):
         x1 = xp.asarray([3, 8, 20], device=device)
         x2 = xp.asarray([2, 3, 4], device=device)
         assert get_device(in1d(x1, x2)) == device
 
+    @pytest.mark.skip_xp_backend(Backend.NUMPY_READONLY, reason="explicit xp")
     @pytest.mark.skip_xp_backend(
-        Backend.NUMPY_READONLY, reason="numpy_readonly:explicit xp"
-    )
-    @pytest.mark.skip_xp_backend(
-        Backend.SPARSE, reason="sparse:no arange, no device kwarg in asarray"
+        Backend.SPARSE, reason="no arange, no device kwarg in asarray"
     )
     def test_xp(self, xp: ModuleType):
         x1 = xp.asarray([1, 6])