By Chinazam Ikechi-Uko.
Homecoming, the Easter festival in Lagos, is a breeding ground for Africans in the Diaspora hoping to connect with the African market. In 2023, Olamide Olowe, founder of skincare brand Topicals, joined the lineup and sold exclusively at the Homecoming Pop-up at Alara. A year later, she made the big move to launch Topicals in Nigeria.
On the 14th of May 2024, Topicals took to its Twitter (now X) account to announce its official launch in Nigeria. May 16th was the set date, by mid-afternoon, Topicals’ full collection will be available exclusively on Beauty Hut Africa. With a successful 2023 tease in Lagos and the online reviews from our British counterparts, the Nigerian skincare audience was ecstatic for the news.
Topicals Twitter Post.
WHAT IS TOPICALS?
“If you have uneven skin texture and body hyperpigmentation, you should get this @topicals body serum from and thank me later.” –Ajokeade on X, Pharmacist and Skincare content creator.
Topicals skincare takes a science-based approach to tackle common skin concerns and boost your confidence. Nigerian UCLA alumnus, Olamide Olowe launched the brand in 2020. Olowe’s life focused on skincare, as someone who personally struggled with skin issues since adolescence. She began watching skincare videos on YouTube and eventually, she studied pre-med to become a dermatologist.
Topicals was founded on the belief that skincare, dermatology, and beauty could be accessible over the counter. She wanted to touch people without them having to get health insurance and then schedule to see her. She realised she did not have to become a dermatologist, she could create products that could be mass-produced worldwide for treating skin issues.
The name Topicals serves dual functions. “The word Topicals has both an emotional and functional definition. The functional definition is something that is applied topically to the skin and then, the emotional definition is something that is top of mind, urgent… immediate. We wanted the name to have both definitions because we wanted to create a holistic experience for our customer.” Olowe on the Glossy Beauty Podcast.
The brand is committed to addressing chronic skin issues such as eczema and psoriasis for all consumer types and is available for purchase through Sephora and its direct-to-consumer e-commerce platform.
Their star product, the Faded Serum, is a crowd favourite for fading stubborn hyperpigmentation, scars, and dark spots. It’s formulated to be gentle yet effective across various skin tones.
Topicals has garnered widespread acclaim since its inception in 2020, earning recognition such as Allure’s Best of Beauty in 2023 and accolades from Women’s Health 2023 Skincare Awards, and more.
From the US to Canada to the UK, Topicals has taken the beauty world by storm and now it has added Africa to the list. Struggling with unbalanced skin, dark spots, hyperpigmentation, eczema, scars and more? Head over to Beauty Hut Africa.
As for Nigerians waiting for Topicals to be in a walk-in store, Olowe wants you to know it is on her list.
