BathKandy is not your ordinary bath and body company but one that produces creative and yummy looking products that look and smell like edible desserts for your skin’s pleasure. The brain behind it is adorable dessert lover, Nigerian Blondie Okpuzor, who doubles as the founder and CEO.
The New York-educated entrepreneur produces soaps, scrubs, polishes, scented oils, home fragrances etc that look and smell like cupcakes, birthday cakes, chocolate bars, local delicacy Gari among others.
In 2014, three years after moving to Nigeria from the United States, Blondie Okpuzor started her business with an investment of $9,800 from her savings and support from family members. She currently has two stores in Lagos and Abuja and supplies her products to clients around the world.
“I’ve been formulating for family and friends from my kitchen for about 5 years … We started selling to customers in December 2014 and the store opened in March 2015,” she told skin care blog Skincerely Clare in an interview.
How did the dream start for Blondie Okpuzor?
“BathKandy is the result of a personal struggle. A few years ago, I realized that I was allergic to almost everything…from food to water! I couldn’t hop in the shower and turn on the faucet!
“I break out in hives and turn red and itchy so it took me a while to figure out what the problem was. I’m also allergic to most of my favourite foods…dessert included and this was and still is pure torture.
“So I started mixing my own shea butter creams because that was the only thing that would soothe my skin. In December 2014, a friend asked me to create a homemade gift box for her mom for Christmas and I created 2. I posted the pictures on my Blackberry and the rest they say is history,” she said.
She added that her love for desserts got her to infuse actual food ingredients into the products when she got her first 50 orders. “People loved the homemade, artistic vibe they got. The products also looked like edible desserts, and who doesn’t like food?! My family would accidentally use body butter as spread for cakes and bread. Or eat soapy cupcakes, truffles and cookies. I knew it was time to get a place!”
Blondie Okpuzor’s company also plays a role in environmental protection through its recycling policy. They use recyclable containers and encourage customers to recycle or return them for reuse. They also support charities that empower women, she explained.
She gave a piece of advice to other African entrepreneurs in the skin care business. “Don’t get discouraged by the setbacks and roadblocks … nothing good comes easy. In fact, embrace them and turn every setback into a life lesson. Frustrations will come but they only build character. Perseverance makes the final reward that much sweeter.”
Below are some of the yummy products in BathKandy stores
