How a startup founded by three women plan to change the face of skincare in Africa

Every woman has a story her skin tells. Almost every woman can tell you about a period their skin was a major source of insecurity.

The three women who founded the company are well aware of the challenges women in Africa face and have thought of solutions that work.

Conceived during the pandemic by Jade Oyateru, Catherine Lee and Sneha Mehta. After extensive research and survey carried out on thousands of women around the African continent, this African skincare brand seeks to infuse African botanicals with K Beauty as Korea is at the forefront of beauty technology in the world.

Jade has her background in consumer goods from Nestle and is a nutritionist. Mehta has over 10 years’ experience helping businesses scale across Africa and Lee is an economist turned filmmaker.

Tech Crunch reports that they raised over one million dollars in seed funding with input from Samata Capital, FirstCheck Africa, Future Africa and IgniteXL and angel investors ex-SokoWatch COO Kwenhui Tawah, and ex-L’Oréal executive and current WPP Scangroup CEO Patricia Ithau.

Uncover co seeks to solve the African beauty problem, it launched officially in Nigeria on Tuesday, January 17, 2023. Skincare and lifestyle influencers were in attendance, and renowned panelists were Nicole Chikwe, Hilary Taiwo, Ezinne Alfa, and Onyeka Michael.

At the event, relatable stories were shared. Mehta spoke about how she wanted to attend a wedding and applied too much retinol, and it scarred her. Jade spoke about how childbirth caused her to break out, Onyeka talked about how her skin was bad even when she was selling skincare, and she had to cover it with makeup.

African women are confronted with unique skin care challenges, and need more Afrocentric beauty products. Chief among their issue is acne, and hyperpigmentation. Plus, Jade spoke about how many foreign products are not made for African skin, even the packaging isn't made for Nigerian weather. 70% of Nigerian women result to bleaching and harsh products that further damage the skin.

These women prioritize loving yourself first even as you seek answers to your skincare questions. With tutorials online and a budding online community, the brand leverages on the power of affirmation with the products having inscriptions, presenting a holistic approach to beauty in a way that caters for your mental health.