Leslie Okoye, skincare expert and educator for women of colour — Lionesses of Africa

Lioness Weekender learned more about this growing and popular skincare brand from founder Leslie Okoye this month

What does your company do?

L’Okoye Cosmetics develops and distributes quality skin care products for women of colour. We sell and distribute worldwide to online and physical stores, supermarkets and spas. The company aims to redefine the meaning of beauty amongst men and women of African descent by making holistic skincare that doesn’t perpetuate the idea that beauty is based on skin colour. Instead through its quality skin care products, L’Okoye Cosmetics aims to empower, build confidence and increase self-love in women of colour through its brands, campaigns and seminars.

What inspired you to start your company?

The desire to create my own skin care brand was born out of frustration of having to mix creams and oils and astringents to get the right cream for me. My inspiration came from all the damaged skin I had seen and complaints I had heard over the years working in the skincare industry. I had witnessed their sadness for many years over the phone and in person and it just broke my heart. Living in Washington DC for a while, there were so many beautiful black women of all shades. And the reason I would notice them was mainly their skin. I had an eye for picking out women with healthy, flawless, fresh skin that I would say “her skin is like milk” or “like fresh bread”. So, when I decided to start a skin care line, I wanted to embody fresh and smooth, like a baby’s skin.

Why should anyone use your service or product?

Simply put, CookieSkin cares. At CookieSkin we aim to put the ‘care’ back into skincare. It’s the soul of my entire company, caring about you, your skin, and your overall satisfaction.

Tell us a little about your team

L’Okoye Cosmetics is a small company consisting of 8 employees including myself. Based in Lagos, Nigeria our team goes beyond selling and focuses on educating women on skincare. Every client we meet learns a thing or two about their skin, skincare routine, or about product ingredients. We believe that an educated consumer would make better decisions when deciding what’s right for her skin and making the right choices on products would help prevent a lot of skin damage we see daily amongst women of African descent.

Share a little about your entrepreneurial journey. And do you come from an entrepreneurial background?

While we are still a young start-up, there have been a lot of challenges, especially since we started operating in Nigeria. While the brand is strong, the inflation rates, importation taxes, and unforeseen difficulties such as fuel scarcity have been daunting. However, L’Okoye Cosmetics has been able to thrive due to differentiation, appropriate pricing, and a matrix like business model that’s flexible. Though my parents worked 9-5, a close uncle of mine whom I look up to is a skincare manufacturer. I learned a lot from him and am inspired by him.

What gives you the most satisfaction being an entrepreneur?

Knowing that I’m actually making people happy and adding value to the world is satisfying. One thing some may not understand fully is, we are all here on earth to show love to each other even when we are apart. So, we work not just to feed ourselves and our immediate families but to extend that knowledge/expertise/gift which we treasure so much, to as many people as we can, willing. Every time someone buys CookieSkin or walks up to me saying they use it, its assurance that people are feeling and receiving the love I have for them that motivates me to keep working.

What’s the biggest piece of advice you can give to other women looking to start-up?

Make sure you remain authentic. Stop asking people, ask yourself ‘what am I really good at that comes easily’. It could be anything, mathematics, accounting, technology, organization, negotiation, science, cooking etc. Then ask yourself why? Why do I care about this so much?  Most people only focus on trying to make money and miss asking themselves these two questions. And in my opinion, failing to be real with yourself, especially women, leads to a lot of the frustrations, competition and burn-out we see in working women.

To find out more about L’Okoye Cosmetics and its product offerings and services, send an email to Lo@cookieskin.com or visit the company website and social media platforms:

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