A black woman has revealed how retailers weren’t able to help with her skin issues – leading her to create her own beauty platform to help others likebherself to find and purchase the appropriate skincare for them.

Abi Shokeye, the founder of Rich Skxn, started the business after struggling to find skincare that would help her pigmentation and acne scars.

“I spent a lot of money on skincare products from retailers that didn’t help,” explains Abi, “Products that were too harsh or weren’t made for melanin-rich skin and what it needed. I discovered that it was hard for some skin professionals to work with people of darker skin tones.

The lack of inclusivity and diverse product range in big UK retail stores drove Abi to create her own store to help people find products that will work for their skin: “It was a struggle to find a  place that gathers products that focus on brown and black skin, so I decided to create one.”

Burned out from using products that weren’t helping her, Abi began to do serious research into what ingredients were safe and would actually help her pigmentation– and was surprised to find she could buy many products from businesses in the US: “With my existing knowledge, I was in a good position to care for my skin, but I understood that it’s hard work for many who are new or naive to skincare claims and don’t know where to turn. My goal is to have a  platform that will connect people with skincare experts and curate products that are safe and not easily accessible for all skin types, a platform for education where people can learn more about their own skin and how to care for it.

“There are so many brands, skincare products and information in the market. For consumers, this can be overwhelming and very confusing – especially for people with melanin-rich skin. For too long, melanin-rich skin has been an afterthought in the beauty industry. This is where Rich Skxn fills the gap, we make it easier for people to  source skincare for brown skin.”

Abi founded Rich Skxn with the commitment to bringing more inclusivity to the industry and building a holistic approach to skincare: “Melanin-rich skin has specific needs. We’re a marketplace for products that help achieve  those needs, but long term will also want to create easy access to skincare products, knowledge, experts and  treatments that cater to skin of colour’s common skincare and health needs – all on one platform.”

The business, which primary aim is to make black and brown skincare accessible in the UK, operates on 4 Es:

• Easing the buying experience through skincare personalisation
• Educating on skin concerns, skincare and products
• Ethical and clean products sold only
• Enhancing health through self-care tips and wellness

Abi sees her platform as one that not only exposes those who are lost to products that may help them but one that seeks to improve the general personal health of consumers: “Self-care is a big part of my lifestyle and I always try to encourage this through the platform. Skincare is self-care!”