Nigerian-American entrepreneur Olamide Olowe has turned the beauty industry on its head in just four short years and even made history in 2022 as the youngest Black woman to raise $10 million in funding.
After spending much of her childhood coping with chronic skin conditions like hyperpigmentation, Olamide founded the groundbreaking dermal company Topicals in August 2020 to offer safe, effective products for all skin types. But her early entrepreneurial journey started in 2015 when she co-founded the beauty brand SheaGIRL in partnership with SheaMoisture, which was later acquired by Unilever in 2017.
Esthetician-approved Topicals has successfully curated a range of products – including its “Like Butter” moisturising balm and “Slather” body serum, which is designed to tackle the appearance of bumps and textur. But the real star of the show is its “Faded” serum, which is uniquely formulated to target dark spots and discoloration. The serum has made the rounds across social media, with many users singing its praises as a wonder product.
In 2023, Topicals introduced a refreshing campaign featuring Grammy award-winning creative Teyana Taylor as its face, and is also making just as much of an impact through its Mental Health Fund, which recently awarded five women-founded organisations funding to support mental health in marginalised communities.