Okafor eventually expanded the brands line to include body oils, body balms, and other body-care products.
(Trump initially proposed the TikTok ban during his first term in office, by the way.)
There are still a lot of unknowns about the future of TikTok.
Source images: Julie Holder Photography; Illustration by Ingrid Fowler
I was just trying to connect with an audience.
That’s the main reason I went on TikTok.
The main thing was to use that platform to introduce [the concept of] the African net sponge.
Julie Holder Photography
It’s not an innovation we came up with.
I grew up on it.
Everyone back home in West Africa grew up on the African net sponge; we call it Sapo.
Its a better alternative to a loofah.
It rinses out quickly.
And it’s machine washable.
When I launched the brand on TikTok, I was actually educating people along the way.
That was when I got 300 orders in one day for the first time.
This growth stayed steady up until that November.
This content can also be viewed on the site itoriginatesfrom.
It was a total surprise from a few videos going viral at the same time.
I remember reaching out to everyone I knew in my community.
I was like, Could you help us pack orders?
Could you pack sponges?
What can you do?
Just show up and do it.
It was a crazy day.
I mean, I started this in my basement.
I had my in-laws and my kids helping me.
That’s how we started, but [eventually] my kids had to go to school.
My in-laws had to return to Nigeria.
Now we’re a team of about seven full-time employees and are at about 500 orders per day.
I bring them along in that supply chain process and show how the brands growth impacts them.
That’s a huge impact.
[I would say] about 85 percent of my business is driven by TikTok Shop.
The Shop component makes it easy for customers to shop directly on the video.
There’s a call to action, it doesn’t take you to another platform.
It’s easy to stay there and do your shopping and entertainment.
[On TikTok, its about] just being real, being organic.
There are no frills.
That’s what I love.
TikTok is a place where you’re able to do that.
There’s a lot of that.
[If the ban goes through,]ReelsandYouTubeare the main platforms for us.
Im a pharmacist, my training is in pharmacy.
I always wanted to have a skin-care brand that caters tothe needs of skin of color.
What a roller coaster weekend.
My focus right now is on creating brand awareness across other platforms.
Our products are also available onour Amazon store.
My mission remains the same: to bring Afro-inspired skincare to the global stageand Im just getting started.
More on TikTok:
Now, watch Benito Skinner’s take on TikTok trends:
