They started from making frozen body scrubs, and are currently an international award winning natural skincare brand. Since childhood, two certified cosmetic formulators, Zahra Hassan, 34, and Faduma Abdi, 35, were always fascinated by skincare and beauty.
Excessive importation of synthetic products inspired the duo to formulate and manufacture natural skincare products to provide affordable, easy to use and result based products.
They founded Qasil Beauty in July 2020. Theirs is an innovative natural skincare brand that caters for all skin types inspired by traditional, safe, clean and sought after ingredients.
"Initially, in 2015, we formed the company under Zahra Organics but later rebranded in 2020 to Qasil Beauty. We started with one product, the bridal body scrub which had to be refrigerated otherwise it would go bad.”
Zahra noted that while majority of their clients were more interested in the content rather than the packaging, they would complain if they received the product half spilled.
“I would receive feedback that the product was rotting just after six months and this was discouraging. I knew there had to be a way to preserve my product, so together with Faduma we decided to rebrand to Qasil Beauty. This was in the middle of pandemic.”
“All our products are natural and organic, and our skincare line incorporates both nature and science,” says Zahra.
Zahra is an analytical chemist who graduated from Technical University of Mombasa in 2008 and later pursued cosmetic chemistry and cosmetic formulation in an accredited online formulation school in the United Kingdom.
‘’One of our most powerful ingredient incorporated in our line of products is the Qasil. This is one of the best kept beauty secrets among the Somali communities in East Africa.”
Qasil is made from dried, finely crushed leaves from the gob tree. Women from East African countries have been using the leaves of the tree for centuries to exfoliate, soften and brighten their skin.
For the duo, beauty was always a communal interactive concept and from a young age they watched their mothers apply qasil masks while doing house chores.
“As we became aware of the world beyond our community, we noticed that mainstream media was always showing beauty products that cater to a specific niche and I wondered why qasil couldn’t be a mainstream ingredient as well.”
Qasil beauty’s products are cruelty free, vegan and certified by the Kenya Bureau of Standards. It is one of the ‘made in Africa’ brand retailing both regionally and globally, offering products made using ingredients sourced from East Africa.
“We did not have any capital. At first, we only made products as per demand. We carefully formulate our products in a clean, safe environment.”
Zahra says that she is motivated by women around her and the potential that natural beauty has in elevating confidence.
Zahra Hassan is the founder of Qasil Beauty, a natural skincare brand breaking into the continent’s beauty and personal care industry.
Photo credit: Pool
“Every bottle from Qasil Beauty builds hope, self-confidence and restores self-love for women whose lives have been impacted by low self-esteem while empowering them to embrace their skin.”
As Q-beauty grows its footprint across the beauty segment, by the end of 2021, they had 11 products and five employees.
“This year we shall launch two more skin care products to cater for specific needs of the customer that have consistently been communicated to us.”
“We research on the benefits, the ingredient combinations and this involves trial and error testing to get the perfect formula to achieve the right results. If it is a new product we send it to KEBS to get the right qualifications and once we receive approval, we package a few samples,” she says and adds that they then test it on a couple of individuals before mass production and distribution begins.
Based on feedback they receive, they either go back to the drawing board or proceed to mass production and distribution.
“We are the first to create a brand that is solely inspired by Somali ancient beauty secrets like Qasil and used it as a base due to its anti-oxidant and anti-microbial properties. “
She says that what differentiates them is their values, and purpose for creating the products.
“The beauty industry is wide and full of chemicals but what helped our growth is that we are certified cosmetic formulators and were enthusiastic and passionate about manufacturing products ourselves instead of contract manufacturers,” she says and adds that they listen keenly to their consumers.
Their marketing strategy is through their website, social media pages and referrals.
Her dream is to see their brand stocked in outlets all over the world, which is why she is creating high quality products that adhere to global standards.
‘’We are currently available in Nairobi, Mombasa and Eldoret. Our products ranges from Sh1,000 to Sh3,200. Our best-selling package is the ultimate clear skin bundle which goes for Sh8,500 and includes a cleanser, toner, mask and serum for clear and glowing skin.”
Behind the perfect photos of their products in their social media pages lies a lot of challenges and Zahra admits that entrepreneurship is the biggest and the most important personal development journey one can ever undertake.
“We have gone through many challenges, from rebranding to a luxury affordable brand and launching in the middle of the pandemic, we never thought anyone would be interested in purchasing any of our products. With time we received an enormous support and built strong consumer trust.”
In Africa we know a lot of foreign beauty brands, but we do not have one African brand that has recognition across the continent.
“We have a few locally made products but they have stayed within their borders. I recognise that it is not easy to break across geographical barriers, but we will try. We want to grow and influence women’s natural beauty and reach more women as well as show them that it is possible to start a brand from scratch,” she says.
Q-beauty was nominated for the 2022 Zuri awards and recently won the Editors Choice Beauty Winners in the Beauty Shortlist Awards globally, making them the first East African brand to win such an award.
They aspire to distribute to more retail shops, empower and educate more women on natural beauty, and redefine beauty industry standards for products that are good for everyone.
