CNN
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Demand for beauty and personal care is rapidly increasing in Africa, but there are still gaps in what is available to consumers. Fake cosmetics and skin-lightening products can put consumers at risk, while global brands imported to the continent are often expensive and not made for black skin.
Uncover, a startup founded by three Kenyan women in 2020, wants to change that. Sneha Mehta, CEO and co-founder of the company, says the company has developed a range of cosmetics that cater to the needs of African women. Each product will be trialled by focus groups in Kenya or Nigeria (where the startup currently operates), she says, and is likely to create a popular product in the African market.
for example, Sunscreen is one of Uncover’s best-selling products. Jade Oyateru, the company’s chief operating officer and co-founder, said that while there is a growing demand for sunscreen among African women, sunscreen leaves a ghostly white layer on the skin. He explains that people often feel dissatisfied if they remain. Uncover responded by formulating a moisturizing, fast-absorbing sunscreen that doesn’t leave a white cast, she says.
The African identity is also reflected in the products’ ingredients, with each product containing plants grown on the African continent. The sunscreen contains refreshing aloe vera, the vitamin C serum contains baobab to reduce redness, and the lotion contains rooibos leaf extract, which is said to have anti-aging effects.
Today, Uncover’s products are manufactured in a laboratory in South Korea, a world leader in beauty technology. Mehta hopes to start manufacturing in Africa within the next 10 years, but says the infrastructure is currently substandard and he doesn’t want to compromise on quality.
Edwin Maina/Uncover
Uncover sunscreen contains Aloe Vera from Africa.
Africa’s beauty and personal care market is expected to grow by more than $5 billion from 2021 to 2026, according to global market research firm Technavio. Because of this potential, global companies such as L’Oréal and Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty are interested in selling on the continent. , but their products are still primarily focused on Western markets, Mehta says.
Rubab Abdulla, a consultant for Euromonitor International who also researches Africa’s beauty industry, says developing skin care products for African consumers will help domestic brands like Uncover become global cosmetics brands. We believe that we can differentiate ourselves from the major companies.
“Although multinational brands still have strong reputations on the continent and are in some cases perceived as status symbols, one of the complaints consumers often have is that these companies “We don’t have products that are developed with African women’s skin and African climate in mind,” she says.
Urbanization and a young population are some of the key factors driving growth in Africa’s beauty market, but there are still significant gaps in knowledge, says Uncover’s Oyateru. “We know that women are interested in skin care, beauty and cosmetics, but struggle to find the right products and the right information,” she says.
Edwin Maina/Uncover
Reveal co-founders Sneha Mehta and Jade Oyateru (from left).
At Uncover, we want to help solve this problem through the digital tools and engaging social content on our website. Consumers can book a virtual consultation with an in-house esthetician, and the site also features a free skin quiz that can recommend products and nutritional tips based on a few questions.
Quizzes provide useful marketing information. “Based on the data we were able to collect, we understand women with acne-prone skin, women with dry skin, and the types of products they purchase,” Oyateru said. The company added that it customizes its email newsletters for skin types.
So far, this method seems to be working. Since 2020, Uncover has garnered her over 170,000 digital viewers and raised $1.5 million in funding. The company is focused on Kenya and Nigeria, but also expects demand from other African countries and diaspora communities around the world.
In the next two to five years, Oyateru said the startup will also look to expand to other countries such as South Africa and Ghana, with the aim of becoming a pan-African brand. Our long-term mission is to change beauty standards across the continent.
Our products “don’t just address how you look, but how you feel,” says Mehta. “We’re building a brand that allows everyone to love the skin they’re in, whether it’s a woman of color or someone with acne or pigmentation.”