Increasingly today, people suffer from skin irritations caused by the environment, food allergies, lifestyle challenges, and medical conditions. It can be hard to find skincare solutions for those consumers who find the big, globally produced, mainstream beauty brands just to harsh. Well now, help is at hand from Mozambican organic skincare company, Isabella - Estética & Cosméticos, founded by Cátia Mondlane. She is on a mission to bring natural, locally produced skincare solutions to her customers who want to be kind to their skins and to the planet.

LoA spoke to founder Cátia Mondlane this month to find out more.

What does your company do?

At Isabella - Estética & Cosméticos, we produce a range of Organic, 100% natural, skin care products.

“At Isabella - Estética & Cosméticos, all our products are homemade, 100% natural, and without chemicals that can cause problems to the skin, making them perfect for all skin types.”

What inspired you to start your company?

I suffered from skin irritations since I was 12 years old and tried many beauty tips that were not working for me, including following my doctors' prescriptions. When I changed my diet to more organic food and a vegan lifestyle, I discovered a great change in my skin. So I changed the artificial skin care products to natural and organic homemade products. When I saw a great change in my skin in a very short period of time, I decided that I had to share my experiences and products in order to help people that might be suffering with the same problems.

Why should anyone use your service or product?

At Isabella - Estética & Cosméticos, all our products are homemade, 100% natural, and without chemicals that can cause problems to the skin, making them perfect for all skin types.

“When I saw a great change in my skin in a very short period of time, I decided that I had to share my experiences and products in order to help people that might be suffering with the same problems.”

Tell us a little about your team

I am the founder and owner of Isabella - Estética & Cosméticos, and I am responsible for the process of production, packing and distribution. When it comes to marketing and sales, I use my own face as my best advertisement.

Share a little about your entrepreneurial journey. And, do you come from an entrepreneurial background?

I always wanted to be independent and achieve my financial freedom. My father always gave me this direction through books that he used to give me. I confess that I used to receive the books but I would never finish them because I was not understanding them. He bought me a collection of Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert Kyiosaki, but I just wanted the formula to get rich quickly and I was not getting the whole picture. I was so worried about the "how" (how to get rich) while the important thing is the "why" (why do I want to BE rich), and with that question asked, I realized that I did not know my whys. So when I started to read the books till the end, I started to understand my whys and if I wanted to do something, I had to make a difference in people's lives.

“In the future, I would like to create a facial organic care spa as a special treatment and later add a body spa.”

What are your future plans and aspirations for your company?

In the future, I would like to create a facial organic care spa as a special treatment and later add a body spa.

What gives you the most satisfaction being an entrepreneur?

To be inspired everyday by creating new and more sophisticated products.

What's the biggest piece of advice you can give to other women looking to start-up?

Be inspired to inspire others, be persistent and never give up.

Contact or follow Isabella - Estética & Cosméticos

INSTAGRAM | EMAIL mondlanecatia@gmail.com

Why LoA loves it….

When looking for inspiration to start a business, often the starting point can be a personal experience or challenge that requires a solution. In the case of Cátia Mondlane, that challenge came in the form of skincare challenges and the need to find a natural instead of harmful chemical solution to the problem. Today, she is helping others with similar skincare challenges to find natural solutions to attaining clear and well maintained skin, and her many customers love her for it. --- Melanie Hawken, founder and editor-in-chief of Lionesses of Africa