PAN- AFRICAN BEAUTY

Featuring Sandra Mwiihangele

She’s the dynamic woman behind Namibian skin and body label Kiyomisandz, and a gold-medal winner of the Young Scientist Award at the tender age of 11, Sandra Mwiihangele shares her journey to building her empire.

What inspired your business idea?

Winning a gold medal at the Young Scientist Awards – for developing a high-performance matte lipstick – is what sparked my passion for cosmetic innovation. And ever since then, I made a promise to my younger self that I would create my own cosmetic manufacturing empire when I was older.

What went behind developing your range?

After completing my in-service training in 2015 at a cosmetic manufacturing company in Cape Town, I managed to save some capital to develop the Summer Rain collection, our most popular range, which consists of fruit extracts, Namibian marula oil and other naturally-derived properties. This invigorating range, which includes shower gels, lip products, body lotions, bubble bath, hand products and exfoliating scrubs, is also suitable for all skin types. Soon after launching the products, I started selling at local markets, then distributed to larger retailers in Namibia.

Who develops your skincare range for you? We develop all our products in-house because we’re also a registered cosmetic laboratory that specialises in research and product development,

stability testing, quality control and manufacturing of personal care and cosmetic products.

What challenges did you experience along the way?

When starting out in 2015, I struggled with implementing and understanding accounting and business admin concepts. I’ve come to learn that practicing and teaching yourself basic financial skills is an essential part of running a successful business, especially at the beginning.

What are your topselling products? Out of our nine current skincare products, our antioxidant-rich facial

and body scrubs, as well as the body butters, are still, without a doubt, our top sellers since the launch.

What goals have you set for your business?

I plan on distributing our Summer Rain collection across Africa, as they are currently only available in Namibia.

Which percentage of your products are organic, and how has it contributed to the success of your business?

Various products in our range are between 20%70% organic raw materials since they are mixed with natural ingredients.