PARIS — Líha Beauty, the sleek natural and organic skin- and home-care brand blending West Africa’s rich plant and traditional heritage with English aromatherapy, has just closed a 1-million-pound funding round.
The investor was private equity, according to Líha Okunniwa, who cofounded the brand with Abi Oyepitan in 2017. The sustainable label had raised 200,000 pounds just prior to the coronavirus pandemic.
Okunniwa explained the new investment will be used to hire employees to build up the team, allowing her and Oyepitan “to do our jobs of actually getting out of the weeds, being a lot more forward-facing and getting the brand out there.”
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The pair will have some public speaking engagements, such as at the Retail Summit 2024 in Dubai.
“There is going to be a lot of marketing,” continued Okunniwa. This next phase is also about “owning our territory.”
That is to say, London.
“We’re hoping to do some really cool pop-ups,” she said. The brand bought a truck, which Okunniwa described as an off-grid tiny house that already was trialed at some festivals over the summer.
“We’re going to turn it into an amazing experience, with something really unique, where customers can come on, try the products and a treatment,” said Okunniwa.
She said Líha Beauty went viral during the pandemic.
“It was wild, but also difficult because it was hard to actually reach those customers,” explained Okunniwa, adding now people have seen the brand and are primed to get more familiar with it once the founders hit the streets. “So the word can spread even more.”
Líha Beauty is currently sold on lihabeauty.com and in Sephora and Space NK in the U.K.
“We are setting our wholesale strategy, [including] how it’s going to look like for the U.S. and worldwide,” said Okunniwa, explaining that it is important to strike the right balance between on- and offline.
The Idan Oil, made with cold-pressed coconut oil into which a tuberose flower has been immersed, is Líha Beauty’s hero product. That can be used for facial or body treatments, as well as a leave-in hair conditioner.
“We’ve done a really easy win, because ever since we started people have been like: just make a candle that smells like the oil,” she said. That candle will drop in a couple of weeks.
“Then we’ve done a liquid version of our black soap,” said Okunniwa. “We’re doing low-hanging fruit, things that people have always asked for, that we know our customers want. Then next year, we’re going to step into and own that innovation space, bringing out really new ingredients that people have never seen before, which is the thing that I am most excited about.”
Other standout products in the existing line include jars of Nigerian or Ghanaian shea butter to be applied as multipurpose moisturizers for all skin types on dry areas, stretch marks and scars. They can be used as a base for DIY natural cosmetics, too.
Líha Beauty products have vegan formulations and are contained in recyclable and reusable packaging.
“They smell amazing and work really well,” said Okunniwa of the products. “We’re educating you about those African beauty secrets.” Líha Beauty prices range from 25 pounds for a 120-ml. jar of Raw Shea Butter: Gold, to 32 pounds for the 50-ml. Orinrin Cleansing Balm, and 84 pounds for the Heritage OG Trio exclusive limited-edition set. That contains a 120-ml. bottle of Raw Shea Butter: Ivory, a 100-ml. bottle of Idan Oil and a 220-g. Queen Idia candle.