TSAKA The new vegan beauty brand with big ambitions
Millennial Mozambican Entrepreneur, Celmira Amade, is launching a vegan beauty ‘wonder product’ in the UK, that aims to revolutionise skincare for melanin-rich skin. When Celmira arrived to study International Business at Royal Holloway College, London in 2010, she wasn’t quite ready for the full impact of England’s climate. As a result, her skin suffered from blemishes, dryness and and un-even tone almost overnight. Despite searching in beauty stores throughout the UK, she could not find a solution – so Celmina did what all resourceful entrepreneurs do: She developed her own.
Being offered a ‘skin bleaching’ cream in a local beauty store was the final straw. Celmira realised she had to do something. Covering up the problem with make-up covered the symptoms, but ignored the root cause. There is no beauty question to which ‘skin bleaching’ is an acceptable answer.
After a year of consideration and research, Celmira looked to her own ancestors for the answer. She studied ancient beauty recipes from Mozambique, handed down by her grandmother, and created TSAKA (with a silent T, pronounced SAKA). In the Ronga dialect of Mozambique, this word means ‘happiness’.
Granny’s knowledge has certainly made Celmira and her customers happy.
Given that this would be the first time that detailed knowledge of Mozambique’s extraordinary flora would be used in a major beauty line, Celmira also wanted to honour her personal ethos with regard to the environment. TSAKA was launched as a vegan skincare company – specifically targeting those with melanin-rich skin. By combining knowledge from the past with modern techniques, TSAKA pays tribute to time tested traditional African beauty recipes – while pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in natural beauty.
The TSAKA facemask is the first melanin rich skincare product in the line to be launched, formulated with rare plant extracts from the Olacaceae family that are only found in Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Madagascar.
The plant powder hydrating face mask is activated with one teaspoon of water and formulated to deep clean, detoxify, hydrate and tone melanin rich skin without clogging pores. Along with a preservative-free formula, TSAKA facial boasts a one-year period after opening shelf life.
Today, Celmira splits her time in England completing her studies in the University of Cambridge and managing TSAKA’s production and brand development. She regularly travels to Mozambique to visit her suppliers in isolated islands and in the remote countryside. This hands-on commitment allows this dynamic young businesswoman to ensure that only the purest ingredients are used in the TSAKA collection.
TSAKA begins its journey with a commitment to leverage 2% of its profits to achieve beautiful things in the communities where the ingredients are sourced. Utilising beauty as a platform to sprinkle happiness and create thriving communities, by providing farmers with the necessary harvesting equipment, and their children with personalised academic support and mentorship to also succeed in secondary school and beyond.
We wish Celmira well with her TSKA vegan skincare brand formulated to spread happiness to those with melanin-rich skin.
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