Kenyan Entrepreneurs Establish First Kenyan Cosmetic Company in Germany

For the longest time, the cosmetic industry has been controlled by European and American companies, even for products meant for Africans. However, these two Kenyans from Baden Württemberg in Germany are out to change that.

Anisa Suleiman and Dr. Elly Cherwon came together and set up the first company that seeks to produce high quality products mainly for people of colour. The two professionals with a combined 20 years of experience in the industry started the company out of a need to fill a market gap and bring the best to our community.

Dr. Cherwon, a laparoscopic surgeon, was a regular client at Anisa Suleiman’s salon in Mannheim, when he noticed how hard it was to find good quality products for the African skin and none were being made by one of us. The Lenana Boys Alumni then decided to use his medical background to come up with products that would work for our skin.

Ms. Suleiman on the other hand, a trained cosmetic consultant and an African woman, knows first hand the struggle of trying to find the right products.

Together they ran a market research, to better understand the market, clients and needs of the consumers. With this information at hand, the went ahead to create the perfect products to meet the needs of their target consumers. With his medical background, Dr. Cherwon, would ensure the ingredients of the products would not cause any side effects; while Anisa would use her knowledge as a cosmetologist to ensure the product would make the client look and feel good. After vigorous tests and certification from the relevant authorities in Germany, the EU and in Kenya, the products were finally revealed to the market in November last year.

If you are interested in getting the products, you can order from their website here at anel254.de or call +49 152 11750395 or +49 162 3023750. If you are in Kenya, even better, you can walk into the following shops: Ava Pharmacy at the Hub Karen; Beauty Wholesale on Kimathi Street and on Mama Ngina Street. Or visit their website anel254.co.ke.

Below is the interview both recently had with the Entrepreneur Show on KTN in Kenya.