A New Era of African Beauty

The beauty industry in Africa heavily leans on the power of nature and natural ingredients which are passed through several generations. Some ingredients that form integral components of African beauty include Shea butter, baobab, marula, palm kernel, and Kalahari oils, among others.

The African beauty industry is growing from a background of local traditional practices to a place of intercontinental acclaim. The natural ingredients which form many African beauty products are steadily transitioning from African household names into ingredients that are sought after by international luxury beauty brands. A-Beauty, a term that denotes beauty items that originate from Africa, is gradually becoming a global phenomenon. For example, black soap, popularly known as ‘oṣẹ Dúdú’ or ‘alata samina’ which was produced by Yoruba women in West Africa centuries ago, continues to gain popularity in the US and Europe. The recipe for this traditional soap, packed with phytochemicals, which help to protect the skin from the effects of ultraviolet radiation; and rich in antimicrobial, antioxidant, and exfoliating properties; was passed from one generation to the other by mothers teaching their daughters. Now, the beauty market is increasingly noting the benefit of using black soap, which the beauty publication, Byrdie, described as a ‘next-level face cleanser.’ According to the African Black Soap Market Report  which was updated in March 2024, the African black soap market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 6.82 per cent from 2023 to 2030.

Potentially more popular than black soap, shea butter has more beneficial properties. It is known in Burkina Faso as ‘Women’s Gold’ due to its worldwide demand. For centuries, African women have turned the nuts of the shea tree into butter to help their bodies endure the harsh climate. Its use dates back to the era of Queen Cleopatra, when it was packed in large clay jars for its cosmetic and healing properties. Now, shea butter has become a global commodity. Earlier this year, at the 2024 Shea Annual Conference organized by the Global Shea Alliance in Abuja, Nigeria, the director-general of the World Trade Organization (WTO), Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala noted that women make $237 million in direct income from shea-related businesses and that 85 per cent of all shea exports are used as cocoa butter equivalents while 15 per cent are used for cosmetics. According to Okonjo-Iweala:

The cosmetics shea butter market is currently worth over $600 million and it is expected to reach about $850 million by the end of 2027… At the WTO, shea is one of the main agricultural exports of over eight of our members including Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte D’Ivoire, Ghana, Mali, Nigeria and Togo. In Ghana alone, shea butter exports were valued at over $92 million in 2022, and over one million women are involved in this sector.