We often hear the phrase that our bodies are our temples — and it’s true. Abena Baomah, founder of Hanahana Beauty understands that better than anyone. Birthing her brand in 2017 with a mission dedicated to “disrupting the global beauty industry by promoting increased transparency of ingredient sourcing, accessibility of products and responsible environmental practices,” Hanahana Beauty has become a go-to for multi-use body products made with our rich skin in mind.
But it’s not just the formulas. Since its inception the brand’s products have been made with the highest quality shea butter sourced from Katariga Women’s Shea Cooperative in Ghana, further driving Hanahana Beauty’s dedication to sustainability and uplifting Black women. And in case you needed anymore convincing of why Hanahana is deserving of space on your vanity, today, it launched Project Skin — its first foray into skincare. That immaculate level of care and attention that’s driven the brand thus far, remains the same.
“When I started with bodycare I was creating it out of my kitchen, but this is the first formulation where we’re working with a chemist,” Boamah tells ESSENCE. “I had to think about what I wanted the product to do and what ingredients would create the most effective product. Now that we’re a more established brand we had resources, so what it means to be a founder and CEO evolved into me becoming more versed in product development.”
That said, rather than launching Project Skin with numerous skus, Boamah decided on perfecting one — Skin Nutrition, described by the founder as a “detoxifying mask targeting congested skin.”
According to the brand, when activated, the formulation gently purges and detoxifies — sans that icky dry feeling that we usually get from detoxifying masks. It aims to reveal glowy, more youthful skin — and just like previous products, the ingredients, which include kaolin, willowbark, spirulina, hibiscus and maca, are sustainably sourced.
“With our new skin nutrition mask, we wanted to introduce a skincare product that is simple and easy to understand, yet truly effective,” the brand says. “Congested skin is a common issue for people and we wanted to create a mask that would help relieve that — for anyone, anytime.”
To commemorate the launch, Hanahana Beauty will be hosting a series of pop-ups around the country with Black women appropriately at the forefront. Starting, with New York City, the brand is taking over the Ace Hotel for a day of skincare fun. “A lot of our interactions are online so we wanted to bring those in-person,” Boahmah shares. “We’re going to be having different women in the beauty space there to talk about their own personal experiences.”
It’s Boamah’s hope that these conversations continue as Project Skin continues to evolve. “For us we’ve really been thinking about what our skincare philosophy looks like and being intentional,” she says.
Upcoming pop-ups will also take place in Chicago and Los Angeles from August-October.
