Meet The Founder of Arami
"I grew up in the UK so it was a "moving to" moment for me, rather than a moving back. Many people ask me if I'm crazy but it was an interesting experience" Ore Runsewe of Arami Essentials shares with us as she reminisces what it felt like moving to Lagos, Nigeria. What was to be a one-year trip has now become an eight-year life-changing journey as she continues to grow one of Nigeria's most loved beauty brands, Arami Essentials.
During our conversation, Ore shares what it felt like running a business in the heat of the Covid-19 pandemic. She opens up about her role as a founder and how she's able to pace herself with the demands of the job. We chat about what she's learnt so far since starting her career in the beauty industry and of course, beauty hacks. Ore further delves into how her motivation has evolved over time since launching Arami in 2016, what fuels her passion now, and her hope for African beauty brands. In October 2021, she launched her first factory situated at Nigeria Foundries in Lagos which is open to the public to visit and shop her beauty products. As an official Arami stockist, we're thrilled to share Ore's story on Hamalie. Enjoy.
What has been the most valuable thing you've learned over your career in the beauty industry so far?
Ore: It would probably stem around the kinds of ingredients that we find in Africa. I think that growing up in the diaspora, one can be very far removed from what's going on at home. You kind of take these things for granted when you can grow up very westernized. When you are really within the beauty industry in Nigeria and Africa, you see how many things originate from here. I’ve found this to be very valuable because it's helped me not to take this continent (Africa) for granted. I now see it in a different light and that has formed and influenced the growth of Arami.
The start of the pandemic was such a chaotic moment in our history. How did you find yourself coping with all the changes that it brought?
Ore: COVID was a very disruptive time. I don't think anybody could have avoided how chaotic the period was. Whether you made money or you lost money in COVID, it was still chaos, because, for those that lost the money, they had to come to terms with trying to figure out how they were going to pivot from where they were. And for people who made money, there was just such a huge rush and demand for certain things.
For me, it was a very reflective time. I took a lot of time out to think about the why behind what I was doing and why we did things in certain ways. How we could make our offering better because we deal with skincare, beauty products for the body. No matter what's happening in the world somebody will always need a shower and they will always need to moisturise. They'll always need to form some kind of regime when it comes to the body. Even if you don't have a 10 step skincare routine, at the bare minimum you at least wash your face and moisturise. Talk less of people that have so many steps in their routine. So, for me, this showed that our business was still relevant and our industry was not cut off like the travel industry (airlines and hotels).
Initially, we were affected by the fact that when there was a lockdown in Nigeria, we were not able to go anywhere so our factory was locked and we couldn't move or deliver but that soon eased up and things changed. We’ve always been digital and online so for us, it wasn’t really about creating an online experience since we already had that. It was now about how to take it a step further because some people were used to going to our physical shop but when they couldn’t do that anymore everyone was forced to buy things online. So we had to think about how we could recreate the physical experience so that even when the world opens up, those people can still stay shopping online and become part of our online community. I feel it is much easier to create a community with online platforms than offline. So, for us, it was really about how to make our service offering better for our customers and building a sense of community even in the hard times when no one knew what was next to come.
It wasn’t the time to promote our products to sell or sales tactics, it was more of a time to talk about mental health and to spread awareness. There is a time for everything and at that moment it was the time to nurture our community, push wellness, and a sense of camaraderie and through that, we found we were actually able to sell and gain new customers who joined the community. For us, it’s important they know we're here for them.
For us, it’s important they know we're here for them.
If there’s anything different you’ve learnt about yourself in the past year, what would you say it is?
Ore: One thing I’ve learnt is that burnout is real. You know, it’s nice when you own your business and people are calling you girl boss, you’re feeling all cool with yourself, SHEO, it’s cute and you can bask in all of it but I’ve learnt that burnout is real. In the last year, I’ve had to take several steps back and several seats in many areas primarily business-wise. It doesn’t affect efficiency and that's what I didn’t understand. You cannot be fully efficient when you’re burnt out. So even if you’re working until midnight every day, you might think you’re getting work done but it’s probably not getting done to the best of your ability or a very high standard. So I’ve just learnt to rest. Work is a very big part of my identity but working well. I’m not trying to be on an endless vacation but I also understand that everyone’s body has a limit and not taking health for granted. We’re only one person and there’s only so much one person can do. I'm being easier on myself.
And are there any self-care tips you’ve pick-up?
Ore: A big thing for me is to be intentional. I would say being intentional and that might mean writing things down or taking a moment to reflect and ask myself questions about how I feel. It’s so easy to say “I’m fine” when someone asks, “How are you?” but it’s important to really ask yourself and not just give reflex answers. Whenever I find that I’m stressed or not in a great mood, I try to retrace my steps back in my thoughts to find and understand what my stress triggers are. I find that when we think about things on a larger scale, they might seem a bit daunting but when you dial it down to smaller steps then it seems a lot more possible. So, I would say being more intentional with the way I think. Reflecting and understanding myself, I think it’s something that would make you happy deep down.
You cannot be fully efficient when you’re burnt out.
Thank you for sharing that. What's your daily beauty regimen like? What products are you loving? And do you have any recommendations?
Ore: To be fair, I don’t use anything other than Arami, maybe the odd thing we don’t have yet but most of the time I’m using Arami. It’s not self-promotion but I can’t have a brand that I’m not using. My go-to product without fail is our Rosewater Toner, the Eden Elixir because it’s very hydrating. I can use it as a mist to revitalise my skin if it’s really dry or if I have used something harsh on my skin. It comes in handy when I travel and there’s a change in climate. I use it as a hair refresher as well. You know, Nigeria is very humid, so my skin is rarely ever dry, or my facial skin is rarely ever dry hair here, but when I'm outside of Nigeria and in a colder climate, Eden's elixir helps bring in the hydration back.
Can Africa be known for more than just being a resource for ingredients? Can we be known for producing strong brands that outlive us? I want to see that change.
So, we know you moved to Lagos from England sometime after you graduated from the University of Manchester. Could you walk us through what that felt like?
Ore: I graduated at 21 and I moved to Nigeria when I was about 23. So a good two and a half years after was when I moved to Nigeria. I grew up in the UK so it was a "moving to" moment for me, rather than a moving back. Many people ask me if I'm crazy but it was an interesting experience. I mean, this was in 2014, when the pound was still one to two-fifty naira, the dollar was like one to one-eighty naira so, it feels like a different lifetime. It's not comparable to where we are now. The exchange rate wasn't as volatile as it is now. Secondly, I was much younger. I looked at it from a "Let me do NYSC, experience Nigeria for a year and leave when I'm done." perspective. That's what I thought and planned but, as it happens to many, I was swallowed up by Lagos and I've found myself here for seven years. Of course, it's not as straightforward as that but, I did my NYSC then got a full-time job at a really good public relations company. I used to work in PR, digital marketing, and communications. I had a career in that before I started Arami Essentials in 2016 so, I had been working for about two years at that point.
It was an idea I'd had for a while because upon moving to Nigeria and having to understand the beauty scene, I saw how a lot of the things I was used to buying were either not readily available or sold at extortionate prices. I guess because of importation fees. I didn't think I could cope with waiting till I traveled to buy my products or getting somebody to bring them for me. That wasn't the kind of lifestyle I could cope with.
So, if I was going to live in Nigeria I had to figure out what products I was going to use on my body, face, and hair that were easily within reach. This led me into the wild. The world of ingredients that are grown on the continent. I remember as part of the job I used to work at, I did some research around the shea butter industry for our clients and even attended a conference in Abuja where they spoke about shea butter. I was mind blown. You know when you come across something, and just like that, your life changes, it was one of those kinds of experiences.
When I moved to Nigeria, I knew what shea butter was, but I kind of took it for granted. The fact is that shea butter only grows in West Africa and Nigeria is home to some of the largest producers and growers of Shea nuts. You know, a lot of manufacturing is not done in Nigeria, because manufacturing standards are not being met. I saw huge opportunities being lost because businesses cannot scale due to lack of support by the government and it's not just Nigeria, it's Africa as a whole.
This inspired me to start making my oils and body butters myself. I've always liked DIYs anyway and before I moved back I stopped relaxing my hair. So when I joined team natural, I was very much into experimenting with things I'd find on blogs. I would research and create my concoctions so this wasn't too far-fetched. And that was really how it started.
I had this oil that I fragranced and a friend saw it in my house one day and said "Oh, have you ever thought about selling this? I've tried it out and it's really nice. Have you ever thought about actually making this into a business?" I was just staring at her like "huh?" because I just enjoyed using the African ingredients at the time. I hadn't thought about the business side but the dots kept connecting. Natural skincare is not a new thing in Nigeria or even Africa but I didn't see anything that satisfied my visual appetite as I am a very visual person.
Natural skincare is not a new thing in Nigeria or even Africa but I didn't see anything that satisfied my visual appetite as I am a very visual person. So I wanted to make my own thing and do it my way. And it wasn't until I did that I realised how many other people wanted something that looked like what I created. Of course, as I mentioned I had a background in communication and branding so it felt like everything came full circle. Things started to come together and I realised I had the knowledge to create something that may not just be for myself and if people are interested in it then, why not? And that was really how our journey began.
It then grew beyond just creating something because I wanted it to look visually appealing to not understanding why there were no brands from Africa that were sitting on shelves around the world. I grew up in the UK so I know this because I hadn't come across any unless you go to the ethnic shop or aisles for people of colour. And I was like, no. Why can't we have products that are on the shelves in any store in a Sephora or Boots? Why can't there be products that are made in Africa available there? That then became my drive, to create something that is going to fill this gap.
Arami Essentials Factory, Lagos. Launched Oct, 2021.
It's not just about creating because it is made in Africa. It's raising awareness about what we can create in Africa and championing our ingredients, resources, products, and brands. This became important to me.
Resources like shea butter are already well known around the world and are used by brands that aren't African so, it doesn't make sense to me why African brands aren't at the forefront too. At the end of the day, I feel like we can all help each other and I believe it doesn't matter who breaks the barrier. As long as we break it, it paves the way for other African beauty brands. It's just the same with Korean beauty, people don't just become interested in one brand, they become interested in a category. It doesn't matter who or how. What matters is that it becomes of interest globally, which will change the game completely. You can't expect somebody to see the greatness inside of you if you're not championing it yourself. Can Africa be known for more than just being a resource for ingredients? Can we be known for producing strong brands that outlive us? I want to see that change.
Resources like shea butter are already well known around the world and used by brands that aren't African so, it doesn't make sense to me why African brands aren't at the forefront too.
What has life in Lagos been like?
Ore: I wouldn't necessarily say me and Lagos have a love-hate relationship but, it's bittersweet. Vacationing here is not the same as living here. It's easy to love Lagos because it's fun but also, living here is a whole different ballgame. I've learnt to love it because nobody forced me to move here. I moved here by myself, on my own accord. I like its peculiarities and it's been okay, but at the same time, I do understand it has a negative side; the security, a very crazy exchange rate, and it's hard terrain to build a business. However, the rewards of being here have been great. I mean, I can't discount Lagos as not being fundamental to my growth as a person. As they say, if you can drive in Lagos you can drive anywhere. It's like crazy meets crazy. If you can live in Lagos you can live anywhere else. I'm not sure there's any country I can't live in after living seven years in Lagos because I feel like I've seen it all. I can't even go into details, because it's a bit much and I don't want to put anybody off living in Lagos. I've seen the good and the bad and I've still chosen to live here.
I definitely want to travel to more African countries but in terms of having a base, Lagos will always be my base for the foreseeable future especially because of my business. Leaving Lagos will feel like giving up on my business. I know you can run a business from anywhere, but there are some things you can only do by being on the ground for example, dealing with formulations. Anybody that runs a business can understand this. So, I mean, to answer your question, it's been amazing in every sense of the word. I think the potential of Lagos shouldn't be overlooked.
Are there any charity initiatives you're currently working with? What is the motivation behind the issues you've chosen to focus on?
Ore: Yes, there are. We have three different charities that we support every month. They are charities that are quite dear to our hearts. So we support one called Sanitary Aid. They provide sanitary products for underprivileged girls around Nigeria. And I think what they do is just amazing that we also support Warif. They are a charity that supports women that suffered from domestic violence, and all kinds of horrible attacks that happen to women in Nigeria and around the world. We also work with Help Mum it is a charity that supports and provides medical assistance to women that are pregnant and helps them to give birth safely. These are the three charities that we support monthly.
Ore: We've supported these charities because in a country like Nigeria, and across Africa, women are marginalised and aren't treated the same as men. This is why a lot of charities that exist support women and children.
Help Mum provide support to pregnant women so they give birth safely. These are very specific issues that are huge problems for women. I'm a woman and these things are dear to my heart. Arami's initiative that supports Charities is called Mind Body Soul and we address issues with the belief that everyone should have a sound mind, a healthy body and a soul that is whole. There are a lot of mental health issues that Warif tackle with women that have gone through rape or domestic violence. Sanitary Aid addresses the education of young girls regarding their menstrual cycles which is very important for overall health. These are areas we feel are very important.
We also support initiatives that help men. We've looked at other issues in Nigeria that are genderless like providing clean water, and more recently, supporting End SARS.
Are there any beauty hacks you've learned you can share with us?
Ore: Oh, loads! So, I have very dry skin on my legs. Many people know that if you have dry skin, try to lock in the moisture as soon as you have come out of the shower. But what I've noticed more recently is something that takes it to another level. When I come out of the shower, I don't dry my body at all. I wouldn't even use a towel. Instead, most times I stand in the shower and oil my legs while the water is on my body. This is because if you use a towel, it soaks up all the water and takes the moisture off your skin. So, I apply the oil fresh in the shower and wait a few minutes and then seal it with body butter. Trust me, it works like a charm.
What are your plans for the future of Arami Essentials in general?
Ore: To keep doing what we're doing but on a larger scale. To continually and effectively solve issues that are very present and prominent in our community. Not just launching new products because we can, but, to address problems. To grow with the business and see where it goes. Pushing it to the limits, you know.
Your thoughts on Ore’s story are welcomed, please leave a comment below on any parts that struck a chord with you or what you think in general. We’d love to hear from you. Also, let us know who you want us to feature next.
Ps: If you’re ever in Lagos, Ore recommends you try AJs Gourmet. “It’s almost like soul food” she says.
