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 wished to create one thing that would 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 appropriate formulation course and got here throughout System Botanica. She noticed what number of different graduates of the Faculty had developed their desires to grow to be profitable skincare entrepreneurs and instantly felt at at house. System Botanica turned an unimaginable useful resource for Apinke, as too was the Faculty’s neighborhood of like-minded formulators and entrepreneurs which was readily available to assist her be taught and develop her skincare enterprise.

On finishing her Diploma in Organic Skincare Formulation, Alpinke set about growing 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 utility and facial therapeutic massage

Apinke had suffered for years with numerous pores and skin situations associated to her pores and skin kind, so she had a deep want to create merchandise that might 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 easy, rehydrate and nourish the pores and skin. In 2022, she launched her three-product line to rave critiques and has loved success ever since.

In her personal phrases, formulation has modified Alpike’s life. Listening to from purchasers who’ve skilled exceptional modifications of their pores and skin, optimistic critiques on social and conventional media, successful 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 happy with is one thing I might advocate to anybody.”

Interview highlights embody:

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

About Ekó Botanicals

Apinke sources the perfect botanical elements from Nigeria and the UK, selecting natural and wild-grown elements each time attainable. Every Ekó Botanicals’ product derives inspiration from highly effective historic African warrior queens, together with the Queen of Sheba and Nefertiti, and recollects 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 a part of us

System Botanica has the blueprint for the type of life-changing transformation Apinke achieved. Our flagship International Organic Skincare Entrepreneur Program takes you all the way in which from studying tips on how to formulate and create lovely 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 System Botanica. Be a 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

Depart us a remark

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