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The African Beauty Retailers Global Brands Rely On

From Kenya to Nigeria and Angola to Morocco, multi-brand retailers across Africa are helping global brands access high-growth emerging markets still untapped by major chains like Sephora.
Beauty brands like South Africa's Suki Suki Naturals use a network of multi-brand retailers across the African continent to supplement direct-to-consumer distribution channels.
Beauty brands like South Africa's Suki Suki Naturals use a network of multi-brand retailers across the African continent to supplement direct-to-consumer distribution channels. (Suki Suki Naturals)
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BoF PROFESSIONAL

Dr. Joyce Gikunda recalls a time when she had to wrestle skin bleaching products away from the hands of clients at the then little-known pharmacy she owned alongside her husband on the outskirts of Nairobi in the 1980s. Gikunda, who was trained as a dermatologist, would often return to Kenya from her travels with suitcases full of creams, serums and cleansers from brands not yet available in her country.

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Further Reading

Where Will Global Beauty’s Growth Come From?

The State of Fashion: Beauty explores why the international growth strategies of beauty brands and retailers need a reset to capture opportunities in new markets, like India and Middle East, emerge along with industry juggernauts, the US and China.

About the author
Yola Mzizi
Yola Mzizi

Yola Mzizi is the Editorial Associate at The Business of Fashion (BoF). She is based in New York and provides operational support to the New York team and writes features for BoF and The Business of Beauty.

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