Breaking the Barrier: Cocoon Oneself

Ozohu Adoh is on a mission to improve skin-care for women of color, and her journey has been more than inspiring. While she finished her accounting degree at the University of Oxford, it was Adoh’s own skin issues that led her to the world of skin-care. “I had struggled to find products which catered to my particular needs after suffering from a skin condition over a long period of time that was difficult to diagnose,” she says. When she noticed a lack of luxury skin-care products for women of color, particularly for those dealing with dryness or hyperpigmentation, she decided to launch her own skin-care line, Epara Skincare, in 2017.

Epara Skincare is unique – not only in its name, but also in its ingredients. Adoh has made sure to source ingredients from the continent of Africa. Users will find moisturizing and safe ingredients like plankton extract, allantoin, and hyaluronic acid that hydrate the skin, along with targeting hyperpigmentation. It is very important for Adoh to create products that are organic and natural – and scientifically proven to work. The Nigerian native knows firsthand the power of African ingredients. “We had always heard from our forebears how certain oils and butters were good for the skin. So, by understanding this aspect of the botanicals, we could bring to market a truly scientifically-compelling product line that was indeed efficacious,” she explains. As the COVID-19 pandemic has had a certain impact on her business “especially during the initial part of the lockdown when many people couldn’t go into the stores,” her team has “partly offset this setback with an increased online presence. In the upstream sector, it also impacts the supply chain of our raw-material ingredients. The ability to procure them is substantially harder.”

In fact, natural and primarily organic skin-care has been the rage for years now. As more and more people move toward cleaner, healthier lifestyles, many want their skin-care to also reflect that change. However, everybody’s skin is different, and scientific research is key to formulating the right brand. Epara Skincare finds a way to combine the two schools of thought into various skin-care products. Adoh wants her customers to envelop themselves in the full Epara experience. “It should come across to the end user that the investment of their resources and time is truly worth it and that extraordinary care has been taken to ensure that great quality has gone into every aspect of delivering this skin-care product,” she affirms.

Moreover, Adoh wants buyers to take a closer look at the products they use every day. “I always advise potential clients to scrutinize the current cleanser they use to ensure it is not overly harsh,” she elaborates. “The cleanser is a fundamental piece of the puzzle of good skin-care. It needs to be gentle and yet effective.” For first-time buyers, Adoh has some recommendations: “I do love them all, but I certainly use the Comforting Body Cream every day. I also love the Cleansing Lotion, and of course, the Brightening Night Balm,” she says.

Writer: Leonye McCalla

Photographer & Videographer: Scott Rankin (for Photography By Ginger)

Editor: Eiko Watanabe

Special thanks to Epara Skincare (@eparaskincare – www.eparaskincare.com) & EPK Media (@myepk & @epkmedia - epkmedia.com)