Beautifying Namibia

BRANDON VAN WYKNAMIBIA’S newest cosmetics company, Ilotu Investments, has taken skin and hair care provision to new heights by developing products that cater specifically for the Namibian population.

According to Mareka Masule, the founder of the company, they started operating in August 2017 and they manufacture oil-based hair and skincare products.

Masule said the products include body detox and hydrating clays, shampoo and conditioners, body scrubs and face washes.

“Our product range consists of a variety of essential oils such as rosemary oil, lavender oil and coconut oil which aid in treating various skin and hair conditions such as acne, oily and dry sensitive skin,” Masule stated.

She added that their base products are appropriate because they protect Namibians from the harsh weather conditions, as many of the current international brands are not for the country’s climate.

Masule, whose “new-found love” is cosmetics, said that she manufactures all her products from home.

Although she is a qualified graphic designer and professional contemporary dancer, she chose the cosmetic industry after a family member passed away.

The company currently employs four experts – a production manager, financial management strategist, a projects manager and a sales and marketing director.

She said her products are for men and women and children.

“Our products are for people from the ages of seven upwards and we also cater for people with various skin and hair conditions and health-conscious individuals,” Masule added.

She said her products have made changes in people’s hair and skin development and that clients have been receptive to her cosmetics line.

“So far we have had fantastic product reviews which helped expand our client database. A client who had athlete’s foot told us the fungus cleared up,” she said.

The young entrepreneur pointed out that her company faces competition.

“Natural cosmetics and pharmaceutical companies are a growing industry that everyone wants to join,” she said, and added that some of the challenges she faced in the beginning included gaining the trust of potential customers.

“Many individuals were quite hesitant to try something new at first, especially those who felt that they’ve already tried every product life had to offer,” she said.

She added that she had to come up with creative ways of marketing because she relies on customer feedback for publicity.

When it comes to the way she runs her business, Masule says she would not change anything.

“I wouldn’t change anything as everything the amazing team and I have put together has taken us this far and we are extremely proud,” she said.

Masule added that there is always room for growth and that all this depends on her clients, as the products are developed with them in mind.

Masule was one of the winners of the 2018 Sanlam innovation works awards.

“Being part of the top five came with not only N$50 000 prize money but with significant guidance and training which I valued more,” she said.

She added that she has been using her funds wisely and that she has been choosing carefully where to ‘sow’ her money for her to reap the best harvest.

“I have had the opportunity to attend more cosmetics formulation workshops and projects in South Africa to become better at product development,” Masule said.

She added that her company is among those cosmetics companies that will be representing Namibia at the Inaugural Inter-African Trade Fair (IATF) in Cairo, Egypt.

“We at Ilotu couldn’t thank our clients , our sponsors and mentors, Sanlam Namibia and Namibia Business Innovation Institute enough for all the support and we thank the media too for constantly making available to us such platforms,” she said.

Masule added that she wants her company to become one of the leading cosmetics brands in SADC “through educating our clients on the importance of internal and external personnel health care, through a nutritious and pure living.”

Bernice Ndungaua, the manager at the Namibia Business Innovation Institute (NBII), which was one of the collaborators for the project, said this is the fourth round of awards since the project’s inception in 2014.

“I have seen numerous heart-warming fruits yielded by this specific project. I have witnessed people quitting their jobs so that they focus squarely on building their businesses, and I have also seen entrepreneurs giving their businesses their all after having been retrenched.

“Employment has been created, and families have been fed. Greater heights than initially imagined have been reached throughout this project, and I am very proud of every one of the 21 start-ups we have worked with to date,” she said in reference to winners of the project.”