Mozambican Cambridge student launches vegan beauty brand for black skin

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Mozambican Cambridge student launches vegan beauty brand for black skin

10:35 CAT | 22 Sep 2016

Mozambican entrepreneur Celmira Amade uses rare plant extracts from the Olacaceae family that are only found in Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Madagascar in her products

A Cambridge university student from Mozambique has launched a new beauty brand in the UK to revolutionise skincare for melanin-rich skin.

When Celmira Amade came to study International Business at Royal Holloway University of London in 2010, she was not quite ready for the impact of the English climate. As a result, her skin suffered from blemishes, dryness and uneven tone almost overnight.

After spending time and energy searching across mainstream UK beauty stores and still not finding anything natural and designed specifically for melanin-rich skin, she eventually settled for make-up as a temporary solution.

It was not until she was offered a skin bleaching cream in a local independent beauty shop that Amade realised she really had to do something. Make-up was no longer the solution and skin bleaching was definitely not an acceptable alternative.

After a year of hesitation, Amade took the entrepreneurial leap to influence the concept of beauty products for melanin rich skin tones, by using the ancient Mozambican beauty recipes of her grandmother to launch TSAKA.

TSAKA (with a silent T, pronounced SAKA,) means ‘happiness’ in Ronga, one of the national languages of Mozambique and this journey has certainly led this young businesswoman to discover the true meaning of happiness.

The TSAKA face mask is the first product in the skincare line and is set to take the melanin rich skincare world by storm. This highly effective wonder product is formulated with rare plant extracts from the Olacaceae family that are only found in Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Madagascar – and it is the first beauty line in the UK to use this ingredient extensively.

This is the first time that the beauty and science behind Mozambique’s extraordinary flora will be used in a major beauty line. As a vegan skincare company launching its first product for melanin-rich skin, TSAKA pays tribute to time tested traditional African beauty recipes – pushing the boundaries of possibilities in natural beauty.

Today, Amade, who graduated with a 1st class degree international business, splits her time in England completing her studies in the University of Cambridge and managing TSAKA’s production and brand development. She regularly travels to Mozambique to visit her suppliers in isolated islands and in the remote countryside.