Portia Mngomezulu is behind a beauty solution that brings in millions of dollars in annual revenue. According to her, the inspiration for her brand came from her being a woman from South Africa who uses beauty products.
She asked herself why Africans can’t also create global brands like Estee Lauder, Elizabeth Arden, and L’Oréal. The question got her thinking about ways to explore the industry and become a big player.
As such, she wanted to create a product not only in cosmetics but one that gives the skin results and has ingredients that resonate with Africans, she told Forbes Africa.
RELATED STORIES
She recalled that after giving birth to her first son, she developed stretch marks that she couldn’t get rid of despite using various remedies. And when she ultimately followed her grandmother’s advice and turned to Marula oil, she founded Portia M Products.
“I thought, as a woman, let me go and try something that is traditionally African… this African herb. I went ahead and tried the oil, [and] it worked miraculously on my stretch marks. I started ‘inboxing’ my friends about the secret that I found, bottling it and selling it for $5.42.”
Since then, her preoccupation has been to find local solutions for African women. Today, the product has become a continental hit, selling in South Africa and across over 14 African countries.
“I honestly believe that we are homegrown,” Mngomezulu said. “Our skin is different, our climate is different. So, we need tailor-made products for our skin that are tested here with our climate, with our skin conditions. I believe that the products that are imported are not made for our skin.”
According to the South African entrepreneur, her company’s revenue is $13.7 million a year after starting the brand in 2011 with only $14. She used her house as a factory to manufacture her skincare products before getting funding to kickstart her factory.
A qualified systems engineer, she obtained her training at the Tshwane University of Technology. “I loved technology and completed my diploma in 2002. At the time, I was convinced that I wanted to excel as a programmer. I also completed a certificate in Project Management through Unisa and did an internship at Siemens — where I worked for nine years,” she shared.
