We can’t deny that the current local beauty space is innovative and exciting and of course female-led. We naturally had to decide to pin down six of the brands you should support right now.
Founded by Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) born Linda Gieskes-Mwamba in 2012. Suki which has a universal meaning; “hair” in DRC, “happiness” in Hindi, and “to be fond of” in Japanese. They stand by their mission; true quality, uniquely natural and authentically African and their aim is to create natural products that nurture, soothe and heal your skin and hair with the assistance of harm-free ingredients. With being passionate about undiscovered African ingredients, which add to unique formulas being created, giving you true goodness and the quality of the rich ingredients and overall product truly speak for themselves and have become more and more popular over the years.
Created in 2018, and taking a stance on doing beauty differently by using sustainable practices and cruelty-free ingredients. According to Nomfundo Njibe CEO/Founder of the brand “I have always wanted to find a way to marry my interest in to one of my other passions, makeup and find a way to somehow make a contribution to advancing women's views on beauty. It all started when I lost my makeup bag and ended up in the world's biggest beauty store during a trip abroad. I knew this is what my dreams looked like. The rest is history. Each product has been developed to perfection after careful processing with passion and love for quality in beauty.’’
Birthed in 2013 by long-time beauty enthusiast Jesslyn Shepard Founder, the brand came to life organically when Jesslyn had been experimenting with skincare formulations in her kitchen, in response to the lack of options when it comes to natural skincare in South Africa. Having struggled with hormonal breakouts, as well as being aware of the importance of preventing premature ageing, She had struggled to find something that worked for her skin. From there, Lulu & Marula blossomed. You’re looking at a simple skincare range, so you don’t have to choose from a hundred different products. Their aim is to identify or bring the needs of their customers to light, as they may be aware they have a problem with their skin, but they don’t know how to remedy it. One of their key focuses are for their customers to enjoy the process and think of it as more of a ritual than a chore.
Founded and started by Rabia Ghoor who recently won The Forbes Young Achiever award, started the business out of her bedroom when she was just 14 years old and today the brand is one of the most popular and leading local cosmetics brand in South Africa. With the notion of, creating affordable local products without compromising on the quality. The hype online specifically on their Instagram speaks volumes in terms of the popularity and love for the brand and constant innovations.
With the slogan being Beauty with a purpose and believing that personal success starts with self-care and that luxury should not come at a cost to the environment as well as believing that brands should give to local communities to help build a better world all started with a young African woman who dared to dream. Today Zeze Oriakhi-Sao who says, “My heritage is at the heart of Maléee”, founded this luxury fragrance, bath, and body care range, which is inspired by many generations of African healing and beauty traditions, in 2010. The brand was named of her great grandmother Malée [Mah-lay] which is a term of endearment used for gracious learned women in Bini which is the language spoken by a tribe in Edo Kingdom, Nigeria.
Established in 2016 and originally known as Connie Transform, founder Costance Bhebhe was tired of not being able to find lipstick shades that complimented her skin tone. What started as a joke between Costance and her cousin about starting her own of lipstick shades that would cater to women of colour turned into a reality as it sparked the birth of a liquid matter range and as evolved into a full vegan, and cruelty free product line which is a hit online and has also extended into a skincare brand.
When Founder Margaux Knuppe couldn’t find any skincare brands that would meet the needs of her beauty needs as well as have a positive impact on other, she naturally decided to take on the venture of starting her own brand. A brand that oaths on skin-friendly products all the while supporting woman who harvest their ingredients which included the star ingredient known for anti-inflammatory properties; Bulbine frutescens. Today they are known as a luxury African skincare brand that is ethically sourced, cruelty-free and is rooted in tradition and refined by science.
