Francisca Ochieng quit her job in the financial market sector and used all her savings to start her line of hair and body products.
When Francisca Ochieng decided to move back to Kenya in 2014 after living in the US for more than 25 years, she soon realised she still had to buy all her skincare products abroad because she could not get the quality she wanted locally.
Her need for quality beauty products led her to decide to manufacture her own, in particular, make-up. However, the business was not financially viable because it meant flying to Turkey, India or Indonesia and having the products manufactured there and then bringing them back with the tag "made in Kenya."
She quit her job in the financial market sector and used all her savings to start her line of hair and body products.
That is how Lheritier came to be and was officially launched in Kenya in 2019. The company produces perfume, aftershave, moisturising cream, body lotion and butter for both men and women.
She sources her ingredients from the continent in countries like Uganda, Kenya, South Africa, Madagascar, Mauritius and Morocco.
While Ochieng knew it was not going to be a walk in the park, she was shocked by all that was wrong with the local beauty sector. Most products in the market had toxins like hydroquinone and other banned or harmful chemicals.
So she decided she would still manufacture "clean beauty" products. The products are "green" meaning natural and without chemicals, and made from locally-produced raw materials. The products are 100 percent produced in Kenya in Nairobi and Kiambu Counties.
“We hired a research consulting group based in California, who have published on ingredients that can be used in skincare, on preservatives used in face and body creams and advise people on how to consciously choose the right, preservatives, stabilisers, emulsifiers. But they insist on plant derived ones that are safer,” said Ochieng.
“I am grateful to the Kenya Bureau of Standards because they were supportive in terms of me getting clearance from them. And because we were compliant in terms of the information they wanted and getting samples of the products we were able to get our certificates in a short period of time,” she added.
She sells her products locally and has clientele in Asia, Europe and the US. The products are mid-luxury and range from Ksh1,000 ($9)- Ksh4,500 ($41). The products are sold on online shop at www.lheritier1789.com and are also available at stockist in Village Market.
She is glad that the public is now more aware and have access to information, and ready to spend money on products that work for them.
“I am glad for brands like Marini who helped spark that conversation we needed about black brand beauty. For the longest time we have been on the receiving end of substandard products or products which are not targeted for the African skin,” she said.
Kenyans are now more informed when it comes to beauty resulting in a significant growth in the beauty industry. This is evident with the introduction of new players in the market.
“We did not do a launch party in 2019 because I felt I needed to spend money on building the website and did a social media launch. And it is through social media and word of mouth from people who used our products that we were able to grow our client base,” she said.
Her family, she says, played a major role in marketing Lheritier by telling their friends and colleagues about the products.
“As an entrepreneur I have lived through that fear of what if the business does not work, but I have come to realise that once the services of products you are selling are genuine then you will definitely get loyal clients who have confidence in your brand,” Ms Ochieng said.