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SA BEAUTY ENTREP THOBILE MAZIBUKO SOUTH Africa may have a high youth unemployment rate, but there are still those who try to bridge the gap by creating beauty brands. The beauty industry is increasingly becoming increasingly diverse. After years of being ignored by mainstream beauty and skincare brands, black women have decided to take things into their own hands. Over the past few years, there has been a rise in beauty brands in South Africa, where we have seen an increasing number of South Africa’s young beauty entrepreneurs coining it. Here’s a look at 8 dynamic young women making waves in the beauty industry.
Boity Thulo Vuyi Zondi Zondi, a management consultant by profession, started her natural skincare brand Corium Naturals by creating skincare elixirs for herself and close friends. After receiving good feedback, she then started researching natural skincare and traditional skincare practices of African and Indian people. To create her unique products, Zondi sources raw materials from Africa. For example, her African Black Soaps are imported from Ghana and carry approvals from the Ghanaian Standards Board. About her brand, she said: “Our brand is built on the hallmarks of simplicity, purity and credibility. “The natural skincare solutions that we provide are natural and botanical. In other words, every ingredient in our products is derived from nature and, as far as possible, in its most unrefined and natural state. Our recipes are inspired by traditional African, Himalayan and Ayurvedic beauty practices.”
Boity Thulo went from being a TV presenter and rapper to being a budding beauty mogul. In 2020, she partnered with Halo Heritage, a company that makes natural hair and fragrance products, to launch a haircare range and a fragrance. Thulo first launched Boity Pink Sapphire Eau de Parfum, which was then followed by eight hair products under her label. Speaking of her products, she said that she has always dreamed of having her fragrance line. “It has always been a lifelong dream to create a range of fragrance and haircare products that truly represent African women. Now, more than ever, black African women are creating a unique identity and playing increasingly important roles in almost every aspect of life in Africa-from government to business and more. “Creating a brand that is specifically designed for powerful modern African women made this collaboration with Halo Heritage a natural fit,” she said.
