5 Things to Know About Kenya's Suziebeauty

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With efforts increasing to make multicultural hair and skin care more accessible to the masses, Suzie Wokabi saw a similar need when it came to retail cosmetics in Kenya. A recent Forbes.com article written by Mfonobong Nsehe titled, “How This Woman Built a Million-Dollar Cosmetics Business in Kenya,” dives into Wokabi’s business and how her brand became a household name in Kenya.

Wokabi was quoted saying in the article, “The premise was to create a make-up brand to fill the gap in the market and build the local beauty industry. I found it very difficult to get product to work with, let alone for my personal use. I knew that I was not the only one suffering and in a naïve way decided to create my own line. I also came to find out that nobody had ever done it locally, making SuzieBeauty Kenya’s first make-up brand for the Kenyan/ African woman.”

5 Things to Know About Suziebeauty

1. Wokabi was working as a makeup artist in Kenya’s capital city, Nairobi, when she noticed a gap in retail cosmetics. She explains in the article that the products were imported and overpriced, so she decided to fill it with her own brand.

2. Suziebeauty started small. The article states that Wokabi’s husband worked full time to fund the business while she developed products. Currently, Suziebeauty has 15 employees within the company.

3. Suziebeauty was sold to the Flame Tree Group, a Nairobi Stock Exchange-listed manufacturing group. Wokabi still acts as Chief Creative Officer.

4. In 2017, Suziebeauty plans to start distributing outside of Kenya.

5. Out of its 11 categories, Suziebeauty’s bestselling products are foundation, lipsticks, brushes and powders.

To read the full interview please visit: www.forbes.com

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