African beauty entrepreneurs have been working hard on building their glam brands and are definitely not being left behind. Success is in the palm of their hands as business is booming daily.
Although international beauty brands such as the likes of Lóreal and Revlon have had a monopoly in Africa for many years; the landscape has changed. More and more companies managed by Africans for Africans have entered the market.
Discover the top 5 African beauty brands on our radar in 2020 below:
This beauty label is owned by Nigerian born mother and wife, Chichi Eburu. Her brand embodies royalty and was designed to celebrate African Kings, Queens and rulers, who ‘express themselves through next-level beauty, where only the finest formulas and most-pigmented shades will do.’ The rapid growth of this business has been astonishing. The uniqueness of Juvia’s place lies in her ‘rich, vibrant, and highly pigmented colors.’ You need a perfect makeup for your skin tone, think Juvia!
Launched in 2010, this leading South African luxury fragrance, bath and body care business has shown great success. When owner Zeze Oriaikhi-Sao created Malée she wanted to share her love for the people of Africa by celebrating natural beauty and their healing rituals.
Malée’s philosophy hinges on three core areas; “personal success starts with self-care, luxury should not come at a cost to the environment and that brands should give back to local communities to help build a better world.”
This is why the brand carefully selects powerful herbals that have been properly tested and found effective to heal and soothe the skin, while producing their products. Interestingly too, all the elements used in the production and packaging are recyclable.
This is a made in South Africa luxury skin and wellness brand by entrepreneur Kutlwano Mthembu. The product comes in two flavours “Citronella Rosebud” and “Lavender Lemongrass Flirt”. The line currently has a range of vegan body butters which use Shea Butter from Ghana. It is infused with divine organic oils and ingredients perfect for the skin and rapid hair growth.
The products are affordable and this is not unconnected to Kutlwano’s belief which she revealed in an interview – “I’ve always loved the luxurious things in life but at an affordable price. I’ve seen people break their back to keep up and attain a certain lifestyle and live with the status quo that there is no need to do so. You can absolutely live affordably, breathe and enjoy a beautiful life without breaking your bank account.”
This brand was founded by Kenyan Nelly Tuikong who wanted to create make-up products serving the African woman. Her aim with the cosmetics brand was to offer a solution for African women who were finding great difficulty in finding their shade. She has created different shades of foundations, lipsticks, eyeshadows and more to suit the different skin colour shades of African women.
The brand’s legacy focuses on changing the narrative to homegrown solutions and also becoming an inspiration to the rest of the world with the resilience shown. With 15 foundation shades launched, Pauline Cosmetics is the provider of the widest foundation range in East Africa.
Co-founders Kwami and Emily developed True Moringa when they travelled to Northern Ghana and discovered the Moringa tree. This seeds of the tree are rich in natural oils, antioxidants and has many other health benefits. They are essential in producing ‘one of nature’s finest oils for hair and skin care.’ This helped them create their clean, 100% vegan and conscious beauty line which has gained great popularity globally. The brand believes ‘that true wellness should be simple, affordable, & fair for all.’
There have been some challenges in the past such as problems with foundation shades and finding suitable products for the diverse African hair types. All that is changing now as there are more options available or the African market.
Time Out in Africa is a leading online magazine providing entertainment news, features on Health and Wellness, Living and Lifestyle, Travel and City Guide, as well as Movie and Music reviews from Africa.
