The Subsaharan Beauty Podcast

Jennifer Uloko’s entrepreneurial journey unfolds against the backdrop of a prevalent issue faced by African beauty consumers—the struggle to access coveted international cosmetics. Recognizing this gap, Jennifer seized the moment and birthed Yanga Beauty, a Nigerian makeup brand renowned for its affordable, high-quality products adorned with its distinguished vibrant branding.

With a background in makeup artistry and a business mindset, Jennifer teamed up with cosmetic scientists to make Yanga Beauty a reality--a brand that not only celebrates women of color but also empowers thousands of beauty professionals through its innovative franchise model.

In this episode, Jennifer takes us through her entrepreneurial journey, sharing the community's pivotal role in amplifying Yanga Beauty's mission. We also discuss the brand’s commitment to sustainability and body positivity. Jennifer also shares her long-term vision for the brand and the impact she aspired to make on other beauty professionals as a business educator.

This episode unravels the layers of determination and resilience that shaped Yanga Beauty into becoming a highly sought-after brand in Nigeria and beyond.

Follow the podcast:

https://www.instagram.com/subsaharanbeautypod/

Shop Yanga Beauty:

https://yangabeauty.com

https://www.instagram.com/yangabeauty

In the words of Mary-Jane Ohobu, COO of Zaron Group of Cosmetics, "The vision is clear...Zaron is here for keeps."

With an impressive presence boasting over 24 franchise stores, a vast network of 1000+ distributors, retail partners, and independent business consultants in Nigeria alone, Zaron has not only cemented its status as a trusted cosmetics brand but has also become a staple in countless Nigerian households. Since launching in 2011, Zaron has remained true to its mission of serving women of color as an aspirational yet accessible beauty brand. This commitment has propelled the brand's remarkable expansion, now spanning 11 African countries.

Mary-Jane's journey with Zaron Group of Cosmetics has spanned a remarkable 11 of the brand's 13-year existence. Alongside CEO and Founder Oke Maduewesi, they have cultivated a formidable brand, driven by a clear vision and an unwavering commitment to empower not only their employees but also the communities they touch.

🎙️ In this podcast episode, Mary-Jane joins us to talk about:

🎨 Her burgeoning career as a visual artist and her mission to amplify African culture through art, including her latest exhibitions.

🌟 What sets Zaron apart and the foundation of its strong company culture.

🌍 Zaron's dedication to making a positive social impact through various CSR initiatives.

🧴 The brand's expansion into the skincare category and the surging demand for skincare products across diverse African markets.

📈 The delicate balance between the advantages and challenges of a franchise distribution model while implementing structures for sustained growth.

In 2005, Nibi Lawson's finance career took her from NYC to Lagos, Nigeria, coinciding with the resurgence of the 2000s natural hair movement. However, Lagos didn't reflect the natural hair celebration she hoped for.

Determined to reshape this narrative, Nibi embarked on a mission to promote and celebrate natural hair textures, giving birth to a vibrant community. In 2010, she launched Kinky Apothecary, Nigeria's first trusted marketplace for clean, effective textured hair products.

Drawing from a decade of beauty community engagement, Nibi is now pioneering HairRx, an AI-driven beauty tech startup personalizing hair care for curly and textured hair.

🎙️ Join us in this episode as sit down with Nibi to discuss:

💡A.I. revolutionizing curly and textured hair care for women of color

🏆 Lessons from a decade of building the Kinky Apothecary community

💰 Challenges and triumphs of scaling two ventures through different funding paths

🌟 Aspirations to inspire equitable investment in Black-owned businesses and startups for a more inclusive entrepreneurial landscape. 🚀

Thanks for all the love and support. Tag me while you're listening at @subsaharanbeautypod Rate, Review, and Subscribe on Apple Stay in touch with me: @beautescriptdoc

Nibi Lawson: @kinkyapothecary

https://www.instagram.com/subsaharanbeautypod/

If you'd like to connect, email Ijeoma at ijeoma@thesubsaharanbeauty.com with the subject line, "TSB Listener Connect".

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On this episode, we're joined by Kui Mwai, journalist, podcaster, and producer. As a writer, Kui covers entertainment, beauty, culture, and health international publications including Well&Good, Blavity, Bustle, Refinery29, ELLE UK, and Cosmo UK. Through her writing, she has been able to open up conversations about identity and culture.

Seeking change to manifest the life she envisioned for herself, Kui moved to Nairobi in September 2020, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. In this intimate conversation, Kui shares her journey of moving back to Kenya in 2020, the inspiration behind it, and how it has allowed her to explore her Kenyan heritage and uncover deeper meaning in her life. We talk about navigating her own perceptions of identity and discovering how to connect with her Kenyan heritage without being fluent in any of the languages native to Kenya. We talk about finding work-life balance with a bi-coastal career. Kui also shares the Kenya-based beauty brands that she's currently enjoying and her latest entrepreneurial venture creating her beauty brand, Karibu Skin--which she describes as a love letter to Kenya and a celebration of its rich culture through the lens of beauty.   

"I didn’t speak the language, my American accent always caused a laugh riot, and I didn’t know a lot of the music my family listened to. I felt disconnected from my family and myself and was consumed with the things that made me different"

"When the pandemic hit, I decided to take a chance and move to Kenya to explore my roots and find the inspiration I was missing. I was amazed to find that all the missing pieces of my life suddenly came together in Nairobi, and I found a beautiful life and many amazing opportunities."

Connect with Kui Mwai:

Instagram: @kuimwai

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kuimwai/

On this episode, we're joined by Valerie Lawson, a multiple award-winning makeup artist, educator, and entrepreneur pushing the boundaries of beauty globally and merging raw talent, business skills, and professionalism. Known for her simple yet sophisticated timeless looks, she has beautiful brides and loyal clients from various fields and countries – H.E. Erna Solberg, Mrs. Reeta Roy, Maria Borges, H.E. Mrs. Samira Bawumia, Ms. Bozoma St. John and Mrs. Nicole Ari Parker among other great and beautiful women. 

Valerie is also the CEO and Founding Director of Ghanian beauty brand @cvlbeautyofficial and served as Artistic Director for @maybelline Ghana (2020/2021) as the first artist to be assigned that position in Ghana, Africa. We talk about her journey to (unintentionally) becoming a makeup artist and how she perfected the essence of her artistry--her love for undertones & flawless complexions. She shares how she leveraged social media as her portfolio to showcase her work and build her professional brand as a beauty educator. Maintaining a strong professional brand and raw talent, Valerie shares how she has landed coveted opportunities and roles at MAC Cosmetics and Maybelline Ghana. We also discuss what led her to build CVL Beauty, an artistry brand that equips makeup artists with quality and affordable makeup tools and accessories that are functional, multi-purpose, and precise. 

We talk about unbalanced power dynamics that sometimes occur when brands neglect the importance of the right hires for global activations, especially for the African beauty ecosystem. Leveraging her voice of influence, Valerie advocates for pay transparency and equality for Black and African artists globally and encourages other artists to know their value and amplify their brand accordingly. Valerie shares how times of transition in her career path have been fueled by faith, bold courage, and intentionality-- all of which have been instrumental in her most recent appointment and position as Associate Lecturer of Beauty at the London College of Fashion. 

Tune in for a fun, insightful, and inspiring conversation with Valerie! 

You can follow Valerie on: 

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/valerie-lawson-668b251a6/
• Instagram: @mzl4wson 
• Shop CVL Beauty: https://www.cvlbeauty.com/shop/

On this episode, I’m joined by Ore Runsewe, founder of Arami Essentials, a conscious beauty brand based in Lagos, Nigeria. Arami was founded by Ore Runsewe in 2016 out of a strong desire to see real improvement and make a tangible impact in Africa's beauty and wellness sector. Today, Arami not only offers simple beauty solutions. The brand is centered on beauty with integrity and encouraging people to make better decisions for their bodies, being mindful of it as a sacred place.

Full show notes available on the podcast website

Products mentioned in this episode:

Glow Oil Oud of Eden

Shop Arami Essentials: https://aramiessentials.com/

Follow Arami and Ore on IG: 

@aramiessentials
@oreoluwatomi

• Instagram: @subsaharanbeautypod
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-subsaharan-beauty-podcast/
• Newsletter: https://thesubsaharanbeauty.com/

The time is now for spaces that advocate, cultivate, and share our health and wellness stories of black women globally. And my guest for this episode has enriched this space with powerful dialogue and stories that leave a lasting impression and inspire women to champion and prioritize their own health and wellbeing. In this episode of The Sub-Saharan Beauty podcast, I’m joined by Nnenna Kalu Makanjuola, the founder and editor-in-chief of Radiant Health Magazine, a bi-annual print and digital magazine for black women. Their mission is to tell our own health stories and inspire Black women to live their healthiest, happiest, and most meaningful life. Nnenna’s passion and commitment to health and wellness advocacy began at an early age following her first-hand witness of her father’s journey with heart disease resulting in the need for a heart transplant. This experience would later inform her career journey as a pharmacist and public health professional. 

In our conversation, we talk about the pivotal moment when she decides to launch the Radiant Health Magazine (RHM) without any prior publication experience and her entrepreneurial journey/evolution with RHM. From its inception to today, RHM has shifted from a more niche Nigerian audience to a global audience inspiring and championing Black women everywhere. While previous additions Nnenna uncovers some of the intentional decisions she has made with the publication, including the choice to use everyday women as the cover story vs the traditional celebrity covers. She shares why this was her way of keeping the authentic voice of the publication and also a means to ensure that black women are represented authentically. 

Episode Timeline:

• [3:29] Nnenna describes her personal and professional background with health and how they influenced the birth of RHM.

• [12:28] The entrepreneurial journey to starting Radiant Health Magazine and the learning curve for launching a digital and print publication.

• [15:39] How the magazine shifted from a more niche Nigerian audience to a global audience inspiring and championing Black women everywhere

• [21:29] The importance of representation and advocacy of black women in the health and wellness space

• [26:00] The stories behind Nnenna’s favorite issues including her father’s prolonged heart condition story.

• [30:40] Affirming positive health and wellness practices as black women.

• [34:11] Why she’s focusing on fulfilling what the radiant needs to live a life of health and wellness.

• [46:59] The present and future of Radiant Magazine

***THE EPISODE WAS RECORDED EARLY THIS YEAR, PRIOR TO THE RELEASE OF THE LATEST PUBLICATION: THE SELF-CARE ISSUE. Check out this latest issues and all of the previous issues at: www.radianthealthmag.com. You can also follow RHM on instagram for more engaging, inspiring and empowering content at @radianthealthmag

Check out the Subsaharan Beauty on IG: @thesubsaharanbeauty. If you'd like to connect, email Ijeoma at ijeoma@thesubsaharanbeauty.com with the subject line, "TSBC Connect".

In this episode, I sit down with Eden Zeilo, the Director of Global Brand Marketing at Unilever for the Sundial Brands, which includes the SheaMoisture, Nubian Heritage, nyakio, MCJW, and Emerge brands. Eden manages the SheaMoisture brand globally in Canada, Europe, Australia, Africa, and Latin America. Eden leads the charge in establishing partnerships with distributors, retailers, marketing agencies, and other suppliers in order to engage with the end consumer and drives global business and brand strategy. Eden holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a Bachelor's in Operations Research from MIT.

From its inception, SheaMoisture has been dedicated to empowering women to embrace their natural beauty as they define it. Alongside this mission is their commitment to empowering entrepreneurs, promoting fair trade and ethical sourcing practices while developing community infrastructure in Ghana and transforming Black communities. Eden shares more insights into how Shea Moisture continues to serve the underserved needs of multicultural and millennial consumers globally, through its long-established community commerce business model, funding opportunities for women of color entrepreneurs. 

Episode Timeline:

• [2:20] Eden describes how a sense of community is reflected in Eritrea where she’s from.
• [7:03] How she focuses on authentically representing underserved communities’ markets.
• [11:12] Driving for community commerce and entrepreneurship in underserved communities
• [20:59] The efforts that Unilever has undertaken to advocate for more inclusive beauty standards.
• [24:23] The actions that need to be implemented to change the beauty marketing mindset
• [35:56] The role of informal markets in SheaMoisture's Africa business strategy
• [39:29] Eden's thought on three considerations when expanding to the African beauty market
• 
  

Check out the Subsaharan Beauty on IG: @thesubsaharanbeauty

If you'd like to connect, email Ijeoma at ijeoma@thesubsaharanbeauty.com with the subject line, "TSBC Connect".

**DISCLAIMER: All views, information, or opinions expressed shared during this episode are solely those of the individuals involved and do not necessarily represent those of Unilever, Sundial Brands, and its employees.

· Website: https://www.houseofarewa.com/

· Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theedunnio/

· LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dunniodumosu/

In this episode, I’m joined by Crystal Sai, Director of the Global Brand Activation and Global Communications at Estée Lauder Companies (ELC).  Crystal leads the efforts for developing and executing an integrated global strategy for the ELC enterprise brand through the creation of programming, content & activations that drive culture, engagement, and reinforce ELC's cultural values. Over her career tenure at ELC, Crystal continues to advocate and promote the importance of diversity and inclusion in the beauty industry. Crystal shares insights on how beauty brands and companies can leverage the growth of the African beauty industry with authenticity and intentionality.

Episode Timeline:

• [2:56] Crystal describes aspects of Ghanaian culture and beauty rituals she loves to share
  
• [6:17] The start of her love for beauty as a young girl and how that inspired her 10-year career journey in the beauty industry
  
• [12:14] Crystal on working with Estée Lauder plus the importance of including Sub-Saharan Africa as part of the global market
  
• [16:46] How she approached her role at MAC cosmetics and understood the Black beauty market
  
• [20:53] The presence of MAC cosmetics in different African countries
  
• [22:46] Why conglomerates like Estée Lauder have recently decided to disclose the brands they own
  
• [26:07] Why brands need to dive deep into the Sub-Saharan beauty market to invest in luxury beauty
  
• [32:37] Crystal’s job function- driving for growth and bringing diversity and inclusion insights
  
• [41:01] Why beauty companies need to stand up for their values when in the right or wrong
  
• [51:36] The importance of representation and reconciliation to eliminate negative beauty standards
  
• [58:40] How Crystal is driving change to promote diversity and inclusion in the beauty industry
  

**DISCLAIMER: All views, information, or opinions expressed shared during this episode are solely those of the individuals involved and do not necessarily represent those of Estee Lauder Companies and its employees."

In this episode, I'm joined by Karen Hendrickson, philanthropist, and CEO of Rabito Clinic, Ghana's premier dermatology network of clinics serving patients across Africa. Karen is also a recent nominee for the Top 100 Women CEO's in Africa Award. She explains how she fell in love with Ghana and decided to move there close to 20 years ago and what her experience has been thus far. 

We have a dynamic conversation about the continued challenges of colorism, and the advocacy efforts being led by Rabito to combat the detrimental health implications associated with skin bleaching. We also discuss how we as Africans can be more deliberate and purposeful about advocating for skincare products that address the need for melanin-rich skin. 

Listen to hear more about how Rabito Clinic has transformed the lives of many Ghanaians by treating their dermatologic conditions for over 45 years, and their future plans for advancing medical and aesthetic dermatology care in Ghana and across the African continent.

Learn more about Rabito Clinic
Instagram @rabito_clinic | Website: https://rabitoclinic.com/

To connect with Karen Hendrickson
Instagram @thevisualorator | https://www.instagram.com/thevisualorator/

Check out the Subsaharan Beauty
Instagram: @thesubsaharanbeauty | https://www.thesubsaharanbeauty.com

If you'd like to connect, email Ijeoma at ijeoma@thesubsaharanbeauty.com with the subject line, "TSBC Connect".

• Valerie Obaze
• Shop R&R Luxury
• Women of the Savannah Development Project: Visit the website and follow on IG for updates 

Check out the Subsaharan Beauty on IG: @thesubsaharanbeauty

If you'd like to connect, email Ijeoma at ijeoma@thesubsaharanbeauty.com with the subject line, "TSBC Connect".

Welcome to the Subsaharan Beauty podcast, a new space, and platform dedicated to elevating the essence of African beauty and amplifying the interplay between beauty, health, and culture. 

Hosted by Ijeoma Chimezie, pharmacist and beauty entrepreneur.

The first episode airs on May 5th.