Survivors And Thrivers
COVID-19 MAY HAVE taken a toll on the economy but some entrepreneurs sought to see the silver lining in dark clouds, turning ideas into viable businesses with small teams and bigger dreams. They are local and proud, creating products relevant for today. In one of the most disruptive times in history, they chose risky paths and pandemic-proof products that will possibly outlive Covid-19.
KYALLI SKIN
Launch: June 2020
Touching on a childhood spent traveling with her father, the Nigerian-born, 31-year-old founder of KYALLI SKIN, Charis Udeh, tells the story of how she was inspired by the luminosity of the Hausa-Fulani women of sub-Saharan Africa. Based in London, Udeh makes skin products mostly consisting of the West African Yakuwa plant extract known as an anti-ageing potion.
“I spent my childhood in Lagos and moved to London when I was 16. When I moved here, that was my proper first experience with different types of weather conditions. I grew up with bad acne,” Udeh begins.
“It became worse when I moved because I started getting itchy skin [and] dry patches. But as usual, when I had an issue, I would go to the shops, buy whatever fixes the problem and that was it.”
When nothing seemed
