The Nigerian skincare market is saturated with a variety of beauty brands but that doesn’t mean that there isn’t space for great skincare brands to shine in their own way. For the longest time, it had been the norm for Nigerians to trust foreign and imported products more than the locally produced brands in the market.
It was thought that the ingredients used for the production of these foreign products were a lot better and more ethical than their Nigerian counterpart.
Some of the issues had with the local brands ranged from unaesthetic packaging to questionable beauty ingredients. Thankfully, all that is now in the past as Nigerian brands have come up and are now in the same competitive space with other well-known foreign brands in the market today.
What gladdens my heart about the Nigerian-made beauty brands is that some of them source their ingredients from our local markets, hence, giving back to the community and preventing adding a lot of questionable/harmful chemicals in their products.
I’ll be highlighting some of the Nigerian brands you should give a try this year. Some of them you may know, and others might be unfamiliar but the key takeaway here is that you’ll get to know some brands you’ve never heard of and consider purchasing one or two things from them:
Zaron Cosmetics and Skincare:
Zaron Cosmetics and Skincare is arguably, the O.G beauty brand in Nigeria and it is very well-known. Zaron, which was launched by Oke Maduwesi in 2011 caters to both makeup enthusiasts and skincare devotees. I need not say more.
Arami Essentials:
I discovered Arami Essentials on Instagram sometime in 2020 and I was immediately drawn in by its clean, gorgeous, minimalist packaging. Arami Essentials was founded in 2016 by Ore Lawani, out of a burning desire to make a tangible impact in Africa’s beauty and wellness space. This brand is notable for sourcing its ingredients locally and it has been proven to enhance your skin.
Yanga Beauty:
Jennifer Lisa Uloko founded Yanga Beauty in 2014. This cosmetic brand offers a variety of products ranging from eyeshadow palettes to makeup brush sets but the most notable product from this brand is its brow products.
Bath Kandy:
Founded by Blondie Okpuzor, Bath Kandy is a “skin loving, beauty preserving and artisan” bath and beauty company. I love how the CEO inculcated food-inspired handcrafted bath soaps that look and smell like desserts to its brand. The products this brand offers include soaps, lotions, scrubs and scents. It has been said that Bath Kandy’s product targets specific skin problems while helping you smell yummy. What’s there not to love?
Nuban Beauty:
This is another well-known Nigerian cosmetic brand. It was founded by Stella Ndekile and Jane Ogu in 2017.
Established by Nigerians, this brand was tailored to suit the African skin at a time when foreign brands hardly included dark-skinned women when formulating and producing their products.
Aweni Organics:
Tomi Pearce is the brainchild behind this brand. Aweni Organics is a health and beauty spa in Nigeria that offers natural skincare products. Founded in 2012, these products are 100% handcrafted to cleanse and nourish the skin. Aweni Organics products include luxurious soaps, whipped body butter, soothing balms and moisturizing oil blends.
Beauty By AD:
Adeola Chizoba Adeyemi a.k.a Adeola Diiadem did her assignment when she founded this brand in 2016. Since then, the brand has grown to have numerous cosmetic products in its line-up that are all-inclusive for every woman, regardless of skin colour. Some of its products include eye palettes, concealers, setting powder, foundation etc.
Sanaa Beauty:
This beauty brand was launched just last year, in October 2023 by actress, Adesua Etomi-Wellington and best friend, Jemima Osunde. Sanaa which is a Swahili word for ‘art or work’ was established for women to treat themselves and their beauty to the highest standards of quality skincare.
The products so far available are cleansing serums, beauty oils and facial moisturizers.
