Graduate spotlight: Ekó Botanicals – harnessing ancient African botanical wisdom

Award-winning Ekó Botanicals Founder and Formulator Apinke Efiong has all the time had a deep love for botanicals. Impressed by her nice grandfather, a botanist at Kew Gardens in London, UK, over 100 years in the past, and having run a floral enterprise from her house nation of Nigeria, she felt therapeutic crops had been going to be central to her future, however she didn’t know precisely how.

When the Covid lockdown started, she determined to shut her floral enterprise in Nigeria and focus on her monetary consultancy work in England. Discovering herself uninspired and dealing from house, she set about brainstorming a brand new starting for herself. Apinke needed to create one thing that might marry her African and British heritage. Having had her personal ongoing pores and skin challenges as she reached her 40s, she felt that creating natural, botanical-rich merchandise for menopausal pores and skin was her future.

When Apinke started her natural skincare journey, she seemed for an acceptable formulation course and got here throughout Components Botanica. She noticed what number of different graduates of the Faculty had developed their desires to turn into profitable skincare entrepreneurs and instantly felt at at house. Components Botanica turned an unbelievable useful resource for Apinke, as too was the Faculty’s neighborhood of like-minded formulators and entrepreneurs which was readily available to assist her study and develop her skincare enterprise.

On finishing her Diploma in Organic Skincare Formulation, Alpinke set about creating a multi-functional line of merchandise to deep cleanse, hydrate and replenish maturing pores and skin. Her vary included nutrient-dense formulations together with the meditative ritual of software and facial therapeutic massage

Apinke had suffered for years with numerous pores and skin circumstances associated to her pores and skin sort, so she had a deep want to create merchandise that may enhance the looks, tone and really feel of dry, hyper-pigmented, menopausal pores and skin in these over the age of 35. She experimented with dozens of pure and natural botanicals, extracts and oils designed particularly to clean, rehydrate and nourish the pores and skin. In 2022, she launched her three-product line to rave evaluations and has loved success ever since.

In her personal phrases, formulation has modified Alpike’s life. Listening to from purchasers who’ve skilled exceptional adjustments of their pores and skin, optimistic evaluations on social and conventional media, profitable awards and assembly fantastic persons are the largest compliments and highlights of every day at EKÓ Botanicals. “Having the ability to develop a botanically-based natural and sustainable magnificence enterprise that I’m very pleased with is one thing I might suggest to anybody.”

Interview highlights embrace:

• Apinke’s want to mix her love for botanicals along with her Nigerian and British heritage;
• Why she selected to give attention to menopausal pores and skin considerations;
• The worth of Components Botanica and its intensive community of assets; and
• How the Components Botanica neighborhood members and their tales had been key to her progress and inspiration.

About Ekó Botanicals

Apinke sources the very best botanical components from Nigeria and the UK, selecting natural and wild-grown components each time potential. Every Ekó Botanicals’ product derives inspiration from highly effective historic African warrior queens, together with the Queen of Sheba and Nefertiti, and remembers the rituals and botanicals these figures deployed hundreds of years in the past to create clear and radiant pores and skin. Ekó Botanicals merchandise replicate historic heritage and knowledge, however are rooted firmly in at present’s science.

Discover out extra about Apinke Efiong and Ekó Botanicals:
Website | Instagram | Facebook | TikTok

Impressed by Apinke’s story? Be part of us

Components Botanica has the blueprint for the form of life-changing transformation Apinke achieved. Our flagship International Organic Skincare Entrepreneur Program takes you all the best way from studying how you can formulate and create stunning botanical merchandise to supplying you with a street map to begin the wonder enterprise of your desires, whether or not you want to keep native or take issues additional afield. Alternatively, begin as Apinke did with our Diploma in Organic Skincare Formulation.

Join our FREE TRAINING to see if formulation is for you, and to get a really feel for Components Botanica. Be part of us to get began in formulation and your personal entrepreneurial path.

Have a look additionally at these associated articles and podcast on beginning a magnificence model:

Episode 173: Unveiling ancient wisdom – the power of Asian herbs with Dr Jenelle Kim
Episode 174: Beauty wisdom – ancient herbs in modern skincare
How to Start a Beauty Brand on a Small Budget
10 Steps to a Beauty Brand Business Plan

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Liz is Components Botanica’s Content material Coordinator and joined our staff in August 2020. Liz labored as knowledgeable blogger, journalist and web site developer for a few years and was additionally a part of the Components Botanica scholar neighborhood. Read more about the Formula Botanica Team.