LIONESS WEEKENDER COVER STORY
Lyvv Cosmetics, a leading natural cosmetics brand for women of colour
With over 8 years corporate experience, Victorine Sarr Awuah worked as a marketing executive for industrial giants Apple & Loreal. After being selected by President Barack Obama to be a Mandela Washington Fellow in 2015 under his flagship program YALi , she decided to start her own beauty company Lyvv Cosmetics. She holds a Master in Management - Specialisation in Strategy Marketing from ISG school of Management in Paris. With a passion to share and train young people, she has been volunteering as a mentor for programs like TEEP, AWEC. Outside of work, she loves to travel and has under her belt 156 countries visited. She is also a wife and mom of two beautiful girls.
Lioness Weekender spoke to Victorine to learn more about her rapidly growing brand and her aspirations for the future.
What does your company do?
At Lyvv Cosmetics, we produce natural makeup products such as lip-glosses, lipsticks, lip stains, vinyl lip lacquers, eyeshadows & eyeliners. Our target market is women of color, but our customers right now live 60% on the African continent and the rest is the black diaspora.
What inspired you to start your company?
Several reasons led to this life changing decision. First of all, it starts with a personal story. My skin complexion is quite dark and so when I was younger, I used to be teased a lot about how dark I was and how I looked ugly with makeup on. My salvation resided in a simple lipstick/lip balm - it made me feel safe and also confident in myself and my own beauty. I thought that if a simple product such as a lipstick could have such a positive effect on me, I would try with my own company to help as many women to feel better about themselves and take control of their lives.
My second reason would have to be about changing the status quo. So many girls and women around the world want access to good quality makeup products but don’t have it because the offering is not right, or even when it is, it’s not accessible to many. I decided to try my best to change that with my own brand, Lyvv Cosmetics.
Why should anyone use your service or product?
Our added value resides in the fact that everything we decide to put on the market has been thought of and created by women of color who look just like the people we are trying to serve. Who better else to know the challenges we are facing on a daily basis. By us, for us! Plus, all our products are natural, hypoallergenic, paraben and cruelty free. We take pride in not only offering quality products but also respecting the environment.
Tell us a little about your team
We have a very diverse team. 80% female and 20% male. 5 operate in Ghana with me, 4 in Senegal, 1 in France, and 2 are between North America & West Africa. Thanks to technology we are able to remain close and keep the momentum going quite easily.
Share a little about your entrepreneurial journey. And do you come from an entrepreneurial background?
I do not come from an entrepreneurial family at all. In fact, I was destined to be a corporate woman just like my parents. In my family we believe in education so much that any other field is not even an option. My dad is a telecom engineer and my mom has an accounting background. When I decided to be an entrepreneur, they didn't understand why. It took them two years to really grasp it and understand what I was doing.
What are your future plans and aspirations for your company?
We want to be more of a beauty tech company now than just a beauty company. We realized that we needed this shift when COVID-19 hit us and we have been trying ever since to systemize more and improve all our systems. Also, we want to diversify our range of products. We started with makeup but our vision goes beyond that. Stay tuned for more…
What gives you the most satisfaction being an entrepreneur?
It definitely resides in the fact that I can clearly have more impact in people's lives by being an entrepreneur than if I was just an employee, even in a big corporation. My joy is seeing someone gaining more confidence just because of our products and all the values we believe in.
What's the biggest piece of advice you can give to other women looking to start-up?
Listen more to yourself - our instincts are most of the time accurate.
Just start and make sure you are surrounded by the right people.
Keep learning and have fun because there is no point in taking this journey if you do not enjoy the process.
To learn more about Lyvv Cosmetics, contact Victorine via email victorinesarr@lyvvcosmetics.com or visit the website and on social media:
