Akosua Acheaw from AfriBeauty is changing the A-beauty game
Written by: Deepa Somasunderam
Headquartered in Lagos, AfriBeauty serves customers globally, delivering curated, high-quality A-beauty products.
Welcome to our new series, the Foundery. Cult ingredients, beauty rituals, ancient medical systems: so much of the beauty industry is rooted in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean but usually when it comes to branding, entrepreneurship and mainstream industry recognition, we are left out of the conversation. So we spotlight innovative founders in and from these regions to build your brand awareness.
Akosua Acheaw has launched Afribeauty, one of the first e-commerce platforms selling only African beauty products (also known as A-beauty). The platform is laser focused on taking A-beauty to the world by curating a selection of the best A-beauty products which includes beauty boxes.
A-beauty is rooted in tradition, rituals and potent ingredients bringing together community, generational knowledge and heritage while paving the way into the future. With so many A-beauty brands launching across the continent, we spoke to Acheaw to learn more about the story behind her launch and how A-beauty can get the global recognition it deserves.
Akosua, we couldn’t wait for this chat! What have you been up to today?
Woke up, prayed and did my morning devotional - this sets the tone for my day and puts me in the right mental framework. I did my beauty routine and started working. Currently putting together a plan to expand AfriBeauty.
What inspired you to launch AfriBeauty?
@afribeautycollective
To contribute to the business landscape: I'm passionate about the continent and its future within the global economy. I have traveled, worked and lived in over one third of the continent. I'm currently living in Lagos Nigeria, a country I believe is critical to the overall success of the continent. I always wanted to build a brand that can contribute to Africa's growth story.
To make high-quality products easily available: When I moved to Lagos 7 years ago, my beauty shelf consisted of mostly international brands. I had just returned from Spain after completing my post graduate degree. It was not always easy to restock the international brands I was accustomed to.
My frustration led me to intentionally look for local Nigerian A- Beauty brands to replace my staples. I figured I should give the brands a fair chance and try them and I found that most of the brands performed better than some international brands. Over and above this, the brands were readily available AND had a shorter turnaround time for restocking.
My family and work life requires frequent travel across the continent and it was during this time that I realised a similar pattern of new A-Beauty brands popping up across Ghana, SA and Kenya simultaneously. I realised there was an opportunity to have one centralised platform for consumers to discover A-beauty brands across product categories.
To empower African women: It is globally acknowledged that when women are empowered we uplift our entire community. At AfriBeauty- 100% of the brands we stock have female founders and at least 70% of their employees are women. We have a strong socio-economic agenda. We believe that African women should be part of the growth trajectory of the $600 billion beauty and personal care industry and have direct ownership.
What are you most excited about when it comes to the future of A-beauty?
The opportunity for African women to rediscover themselves and create their own narrative about our beauty- we have been the most marginalised in society and in the beauty community at large for not having western beauty aesthetics. Turning that pain to profit through creating our own products under the umbrella of A-Beauty will be impactful for generations to come.
As the industry grows, we will benefit from being part of the larger value chain from manufacturing added value products and retailing. This will ensure that we secure greater margins which is far more beneficial than profits gained from farming/ cultivating raw materials only.
A-Beauty brands becoming household names internationally.
African oils and botanicals have reached cult status internationally. Which ingredients do you see dominating the conversation in 2023?
This question is tricky because most African oils and botanicals have already been claimed by international brands who have built trust and have a loyal consumer base. I believe that it is more about a change in the narrative around the quality and use of African oils and botanicals in beauty formulas. It is about African brands framing their brand proposition differently in order to create a renewed hype about African botanicals.
For example, I have used many shea butter body moisturisers- but to date nothing compares to the Arami Ivory butter. Arami's blend of ingredients is the best on the market. I spoke to the founder and creator of the body butter, Ore Lawani, she said it is primarily because she uses the freshest ingredients - direct from farm to factory. The new narrative is one where African brands can position themselves to claim they use African botanicals in their purest and most potent form - and in a sustainable way.
That said, I believe Baobab will start to gain more momentum internationally because of its amazing properties, especially within the superfoods category.
“The new narrative is one where African brands can position themselves to claim they use African botanicals in their purest and most potent form - and in a sustainable way. ”
What steps do you think can be taken industry-wide for consumers to get more visibility into beauty products in Africa and to support A-beauty entrepreneurship?
Access to capital - most companies have been self-funded or money raised from friends and family. Access to capital will help most A-beauty brands scale their businesses.
Marketing - Beauty content creators and influencers are critical to the growth and visibility of A-Beauty brands. Unfortunately most A-beauty brands can not always afford to pay influencers for visibility. A-Beauty brands need to have a healthy marketing budget to gain traction, and should approach nano and micro influencers to build momentum. Understandably content creating requires time and resources and influencers should be compensated, at the same time, there is room to advocate once in a while for an A-beauty brand if they come across a product that truly delivers on its brand promise. The ultimate objective of influencing is to share the best with your followers so they can make informed choices- gatekeeping a good product should fall outside community guidelines. :-)
Distribution - We have extremely limited distribution on the continent and internationally. The support of global retailers will go a long way . We have to look at partnerships and collaborations in order to make A-beauty more accessible to consumers.
Your business is one of the first of its kind. What were those first months like before and after launch?
Pre-launch, I had lots of anxiety about whether my target audience would accept and trust the concept. Based on my research and my intuition I believed I would be successful but fear of the unknown is unavoidable. After the launch, the feedback I got really gave me the confidence to push harder.
I have faced and continue to face many hurdles however I remember that when I launched in Nigeria, I got orders from around the world- from the US, Kenya, Ghana to Spain and Australia. That was when I knew that the best is yet to come.
“I got orders from around the world- from the US, Kenya, Ghana to Spain and Australia. That was when I knew that the best is yet to come.”
E-commerce in Africa has its own obstacles. What have been some of the challenges you’ve faced with running an e-commerce platform in Africa?
Ease of payment across the continent. Some fintech platforms have products that address this but it is often at a high transaction cost.
High cost of delivery.
Winning over the trust of consumers without a physical store presence. Building a strong digital footprint and good customer reviews.
A small middle class market with limited disposable income means price is an important factor.
Looking back on the last few years since launch, what are you most proud of?
The emotional connection consumers have with the products- the pride they experience when they describe the quality of the products and how it solves their personal needs. I had one customer from the US share that "they feel so much pride seeing such great products and enjoy having a piece of Africa with them".
We want to know more about you. Do you have any hobbies?
I don't have a favourite musician but I do have a favourite genre of music- gospel music. This helps me remain calm and grateful for life and my God given purpose. Once in a while I listen to 80's pop and of course Afrobeats for the vibe. I have a few movie faves - 90's classics such as "Clueless" and "10 Things I hate about you". I have watched both 100 times. Quite randomly, I really like "Any Given Sunday" and "The Godfather"- because Al Pacino acts with his entire soul. Cooking and hosting gives me joy. Making food can be an expression of love and I want people to feel relaxed and at home around me.
@afribeautycollective
What are the beauty products you can’t live without?
Arami Ivory Butter - the most moisturizing body shea butter on the market)
M Skin Fast Fade Oil (with marula oil) - helps to brighten the skin and reduce hyperpigmentation
Skinfunctional Azealic acid - excellent for my acne prone skin
Nilotiqa Deep Moisture Hair Butter - African hair can be very dry, my hair literally soaks up the cocoa butter and shea used in this product
Nokware Baobab Black Soap - this helps to clear any inflammation or ingrown hairs from waxing /shaving
Perfume of the day
As a busy founder, what are some of your self-care rituals?
I pray often, read and I try to find time at the end of the day to watch a random cooking or renovation show.
