Founder of YouSkin Beauty, Nnenna Okoye, has called for skincare products developed around African weather and common skin concerns.

During an interview, Okoye said heat, humidity, hyperpigmentation and the needs of melanin-rich skin should influence how products for African consumers are formulated.

The entrepreneur recently completed an 18-month review of six products from her eight-year-old beauty brand. The process involved updating formulations, finding new suppliers and testing the products under Lagos weather conditions.

She explained that the review was partly driven by changes in consumer behaviour. Skincare buyers now study product labels, research active ingredients and ask brands to explain how their products work.

“Today’s skincare consumer is far more informed,” she said.

This shift, she noted, has reduced the influence of marketing built only around glowing skin, attractive packaging and celebrity endorsements. Buyers now expect transparency and want to understand what they are applying to their skin.

During the reformulation, the company examined the purpose of each product and how its ingredients could perform better. Stability tests were also conducted to measure how the formulas would respond to Lagos heat and humidity.

“We needed formulas that worked in the actual climate our customers live in,” she added.

The range contains ingredients such as kojic acid, niacinamide, tranexamic acid and vitamin C. According to the founder, their inclusion reflects the need to address uneven skin tone and pigmentation.

Rebuilding the range, however, came with financial and operational challenges. The project exceeded its initial budget and took longer than planned.

Currency fluctuations also affected the cost of imported active ingredients, while supply problems created further delays. In one instance, a printing mistake forced the company to reorder its packaging after the error was discovered upon arrival in Nigeria.

These difficulties, she explained, require local beauty entrepreneurs to balance product quality with the country’s economic conditions.

Looking ahead, Okoye believes African beauty companies can earn global recognition by investing in research and drawing from local knowledge.

She pointed to the global success of Korean beauty as evidence that a skincare industry can gain international attention by taking research and formulation seriously.

For African brands, however, progress should not come from copying existing Western or Korean trends.

Instead, she urged the industry to explore African ingredients, understand local skin concerns and develop products suited to the environments where consumers live.