Hanahana Beauty

Founded by Abena Boamah-Acheampong

Hanahana began from a simple want to truly feel confident in my own skin. Four years ago, I decided that I was over buying skincare products without knowing what was actually in it. I went back to what I knew, shea butter! As a child, my mother would heat up shea butter and cloves and add them to her own body butter concoctions for our family to use. If you had a muscle pull, “use nkuto” was the answer (nkuto is the Twi name for shea butter). Your head hurts? “Rub nkuto.” Dry skin? “Use nkuto”—it was the go-to in our household.

All of the information I gathered and my experiences lead me to my decision to start a business. Curiosity and research lead me see the lack of transparency and sustainability upheld within the beauty industry, but also lead me to the Katariga Women in Tamale, Ghana. Meeting the Katariga Women and immersing myself in the community inspired me to not only think creatively about creating a teaching experience for others to learn from but also to look deeper into Hanahana Beauty’s vision of uplifting women of color and sustainable direct sourcing.