Nigeria’s beauty industry is expanding faster than ever, and at the centre of this evolution are the women redefining what beauty means for the modern Nigerian consumer. In 2025, beauty is no longer just about the products on the shelf — it’s about culture, creativity, education, and aspiration. These founders are shaping how women experience beauty, building brands that reflect who we are today while staying rooted in our identity.
Across the country, the industry is shifting towards inclusivity and sustainability. Nigerian women now expect formulas that work for their skin tones, hair textures, climates, and lifestyles — and these entrepreneurs are meeting that demand with intention and innovation. Through digital communities, influencer collaborations, and authentic storytelling, they are creating brands that connect deeply and directly with their audience.
What makes this movement special is not just the products, but the experiences these women are creating. From labs dedicated to textured hair, to luxury spas celebrating African ingredients, to makeup lines crafted for melanin-rich skin, each founder brings her own perspective to what beauty can be. Their work is making the industry more distinctive, more confident, and undeniably Nigerian.
Today, we celebrate the women at the forefront — pioneers, innovators, and bold thinkers who are raising standards, shaping trends, and challenging expectations. They are building businesses that resonate globally without losing their authenticity at home. These founders are more than beauty entrepreneurs; they are cultural architects, pushing the industry forward with vision, talent, and a deep understanding of the women they serve.
Tara Fela-Durotoye
House of Tara
Before the beauty boom, before content creators and YouTube tutorials, there was Tara. Her impact is everywhere — in the artists she trained, the brands she inspired, and the market she helped define. With House of Tara, she didn’t just build a makeup studio; she built an industry blueprint.
Her Makeup Academy has trained more than 10,000 artists; her studios operate across 11 states; and her beauty reps (over 15,000) continue to find financial independence through the brand. From the Orekelewa range to Tara Eyeshadow Duos and her professional kits, she introduced a generation to makeup that understood Nigerian faces, lighting, and lifestyles.
Oke Maduewesi
Zaron Cosmetics
If Tara built the foundation, Oke made beauty accessible to the mass market without sacrificing quality. Zaron Cosmetics is the brand that everyday Nigerian women swear by because it performs in humidity, on oily skin, through long workdays, and during Lagos heat.
Oke figured out something simple but powerful: affordability shouldn’t mean compromise. With foundations, powders, brushes, lip products and skincare made for African skin, she filled a gap others ignored. Zaron’s wide retail presence and investment in training programs have created a community of loyal consumers and budding artists who trust the brand without hesitation. Her work has quietly influenced how new labels think: performance first, inclusivity always, and hold the customer at the centre of everything.
Remi Martins-Johnson
Texture Science Lab
Remi is the disruptor — the one pushing boundaries with science and innovation. What began as her frustration with finding ethical, textured hair options evolved into Texture Science Labs, Nigeria’s first dedicated hair laboratory. Her breakthrough? ReXI™ Lab Made Hair — a lab-engineered textured hair innovation that mimics the look and feel of natural hair while remaining lightweight, durable, and ethical. It’s the backbone of every hair brand created through her lab, including REGirl, which has become a global favourite.
Dabota Lawson
Dabota Cosmetics
Dabota understood the power of beauty and branding long before it became a trending topic. Her eponymous cosmetics line is one of the first in the luxury Nigerian makeup space, merging glamour with formulas that work beautifully on sensitive and acne-prone skin.
Her public persona — polished, confident, aspirational — seamlessly feeds into her brand’s identity. As a Real Housewives of Lagos cast member and longtime social figure, she’s used her influence to champion homegrown beauty, showing that Nigerian makeup can be elegant, safe, and globally competitive. Her foundations, lipsticks, and highlighters remain staples because they are created with intention and designed for real faces in real climates. Dabota continues to prove that luxury can be Nigerian — and proudly so.
Ife Agoro
Dang! Lifestyle
Few founders understand community the way Ife does. Dang! Lifestyle began in 2020 with scented candles — a small start that turned into a wildly successful multi-product beauty and lifestyle brand. Today, Dang! spans skincare, fragrance, and personal care, with thriving e-commerce operations in the UK, USA, Canada, Ghana, and Kenya.
What sets Ife apart is her ability to convert genuine connection into commercial success. She sold 400,000 units in three years without a traditional marketing campaign — simply by understanding her audience and building trust. Dang! is playful, inclusive, and proudly Nigerian. It’s a brand that invites women to embrace beauty without pressure, celebrate deeper skin tones, and enjoy routines that feel fun and attainable. In many ways, Dang! represents the spirit of this new generation — bold, digital, and community-led.
Joycee Awosika
ORÍKÌ
Joycee’s ORÍKÌ brand sits beautifully at the intersection of wellness, skincare, and African luxury. She built a full ecosystem: a spa that feels serene and indulgent, and a product line rooted in African botanicals and handcrafted care.
ORÍKÌ’s oils, cleansers, and treatments elevate ingredients like shea, baobab, and other local extracts — showing the richness of African wellness traditions in a modern, minimalist way. Joycee champions rituals, slow beauty, and self-care as a lifestyle, not a trend.
Her work is expanding the definition of beauty in Nigeria: it’s not just makeup and skincare, but the full experience of taking care of yourself.
Dr. Hilda Ashio
Skin101
At a time when misinformation and unsafe skincare trends dominate the internet, Dr Hilda has become a voice of authority and calm. Skin101 — her medical and cosmetic dermatology practice — blends clinical expertise with accessible skincare education.
From acne to hyperpigmentation to advanced cosmetic procedures, Skin101 focuses on personalised treatment backed by science. Her approach has helped thousands move from quick fixes to long-term skin health, encouraging Nigerians to invest in evidence-based routines.
Today, Skin101 is one of the most trusted names in the Nigerian skincare landscape, shaping conversations about safety, ethics, and proper skin literacy.
Stella Dekile
Nuban Beauty
Nuban Beauty is the definition of a brand that knows its market. Stella created it for real Nigerian women: the ones who need pigment that shows up, textures that hold up, and shades that match without mixing three foundations.
Nuban quickly became a favourite among both everyday users and professional makeup artists because Stella pays attention to undertones, to climate, to performance. The brand’s brushes, foundations, and palettes have pushed the industry to think beyond Eurocentric norms.
Stella’s commitment to quality and education continues to inspire a new generation of beauty founders.
Toke Makinwa
TM Perfumes
Toke’s transition from media personality to fragrance entrepreneur feels seamless because she understands something many overlook: scent is identity. Her perfume line — featuring Oud Rush, Intense, Faya, Vogue, and Dive — captures different moods and personas modern Nigerian women relate to.
She didn’t just release perfumes; she created a lifestyle moment. Each scent is aspirational, stylish, and rooted in her personal brand — proving that celebrity entrepreneurship can be both authentic and high-quality.
Her success sets a strong benchmark for locally made fragrances ready to stand on global shelves.
Ore Runsewe-Lawani
Arami Essentials
Ore built Arami Essentials out of a desire to create simple, natural beauty solutions using Africa’s finest raw materials. Born and raised in the UK, she moved to Nigeria and quickly saw the gap in access to high-quality, trustworthy skincare.
Arami’s clean aesthetic, honest formulations, and celebration of ingredients like shea butter and coconut oil have made it a favourite among minimalist beauty lovers. Her CSR initiative, Mind Body Soul, further grounds the brand in community and purpose.
Ore’s long-term vision is clear: position African beauty at the centre of global conversations.
Chidiogo Mbelede
Coco Skin
Chidiogo’s Coco Skin blends tradition with modern skincare needs. Her products — rich in shea, botanicals, and hydrating oils — are crafted specifically for Nigerian skin and climate.
Coco Skin stands out for its transparency, ingredient education, and community engagement. Chidiogo built a brand that helps women understand their skin, not just buy products for it. Her work highlights a shift toward healthier routines, conscious beauty, and African-led ingredients shaping the future.
Adeola Adeyemi
Beauty by AD
Adeola turned her passion and digital presence into one of the country’s most recognisable homegrown makeup brands. Beauty by AD is vibrant, relatable, and built for the everyday woman who wants reliable pigments and flattering formulas.
Her matte lipsticks, glow products, and eyeshadow palettes became instant favourites because she listened to her audience. Adeola’s strength has always been community — she speaks to her followers with honesty, enthusiasm, and a shared love of beauty.
Beauty by AD continues to shape the market by proving that authenticity and quality are a powerful combination.
