From Charity Nwakaudu, Abuja
Lumi Cosmetics, a Nigerian brand, launched a range of beauty products tailored for black skin on April 22 in Abuja. Co-Director Adaku Uju assured Nigerians that the hypoallergenic products are safe, effective, and designed to suit various black skin tones without causing rashes or breakouts. She stated:
“Our product is unique because they’re number one; they’re hypoallergenic. It’s very good for sensitive skin and we put a lot of love into it. So before we do formulations, we look at different black skin tones to ensure it covers a wide range of black because there are different types of black.”
The product line includes eyebrow pencils, mascara, eyeshadow palettes (nude, pink, blue-green), eyelashes, foundation, pressed and loose powders, lip liners, lipsticks, lip oils, lip glosses, lip balms, lip scrubs, and a 14-piece brush set. For men, Lumi offers clear lip gloss and flavoured lip balms (strawberry, lime, and lemon), with plans for a full men’s range, including beard products and skincare. Uju said, “We’re planning to come up with a full face range for men, for like beards, maybe powder, and skincare products for men. So that’s coming.”
Uju described the products as “affordable luxury”, priced to suit low-, mid-, and high-income consumers, adding: “We want it to be affordable for every class of persons, whether you’re low income, you’re mid income, you’re high income. We want to make people feel and look beautiful.”
The inspiration for Lumi stemmed from Uju’s experience in Canada, where she struggled to find suitable shades for black skin, stating, “Being in a country like Canada, we cater more to white skin or mixed, you know, colours. Sometimes we had to buy… different product colours and mix them to get my shade.”
Model Fije Oche, present at the launch, praised Lumi for addressing black skin needs, saying, “They’ve done their research over and over again, and they finally arrived at this. Now they have over 24 different kinds of products, and these products have their different uses.”
She noted the brand’s inclusivity, saying, “Makeup is not basically you trying to paint your face every day; makeup sometimes could be things that could just help to enhance your beauty, not just for the women but also for men.”
Oche described Lumi as representing “illumination” and “radiance”, adding: “We do not have a lot of black-owned brands, or should I say Nigerian brands, who go this far to actually produce products that are black skin-friendly, well-packaged.”
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