Can you believe it’s been a year of Ustawi Skincare?
In these 365 days, It’s been our mission to close the equity gap in the beauty industry, specifically skincare and show the world the beauty and range of Melanin.
As a community, we have created products and space that is designed with the full person in mind, to enhance all melanin skin not harm it. Together, we have taken the time to help our community find their inner Ustawi, meaning “well-being” because that is what we value most.
In 1 year, Ustawi has seen so much growth and have expanded its reach and customer base with its many partnerships from online to in-store. Our partners are Bergdorf Goodman, Nordstrom, Ssense, and Thirteen Lune at JCPenny. While all of these wins are cause for major celebration for us at Ustawi, what has been the most important win to us has been sharing the brand and creating a space that we can all be proud of.
Our Founder, Natacha Paugam, a former Miss Congo and model, was born and raised in Congo and currently lives in France. She is a proud black woman who believes in women supporting women. She became a representation of all women when she stood tall and was crowned Miss Congo. Throughout the years, Natacha has handled being in the spotlight, balancing a career and family, with poise and humility, even as she experienced deteriorating health, both in body and mind.
During this particular moment in her life Natacha returned to her homeland and its natural resources to heal herself. In her journey of healing , she reconnected with old family recipes kept by her mother, combining local natural ingredients, and practices that enhance total wellbeing. Back in France, she was inspired to re-create some of the benefits she had experienced during her stay back home – for herself, for her friends, and for her family. She surrounded herself with chemists, scientists, Board certified dermatologists, and researchers to bring her vision to life…USTAWI was born.
Here at Ustawi, we are so proud to be a Black and woman founded business that provides holistic skincare solutions that are backed by science and target the harmful effects of pollution on melanin, especially melanin rich skin. We want to be able to show the world that there is power in Black and female entrepreneurship. Black women have always been the backbone of the beauty industry and the power lies in collaboration, not competition. As Ustawi expands into year two, we would love to collaborate with more black-owned businesses, diversify our retailers, and grow our community.
We will be celebrating our First Anniversary all month long and we would like for our community to join in on the celebration. We invite our community for a chance to win the full collection of Ustawi products. You have until September 30th to enter to win, so come celebrate and win yourself a little (or a lot, if you are one of the lucky winners!) of Ustawi “wellbeing”.
