DABA

Background

I co-founded DABA in 2021 and we launched in 2023, after two years of product development. DABA is a skincare brand for men and women with melanin-rich skin, a group the mainstream beauty industry has long underserved. We were initially focused on men, but later expanded to become unisex.

My initial trigger happened while studying abroad in China, and struggled to find products that I was used to. The idea then took shape during Covid and the Black Lives Matter movement, when conversations about identity and representation made one gap hard to ignore: melanin-rich skin is poorly served by the products on shelves, and by the science behind them. For example, only about 15% of cases in medical textbooks show melanin-rich skin. We set out to change that with clean, science-backed formulations that celebrate and protect melanin-rich skin.

My role: Though we tried, we struggled to achieve a clean split. I mostly focused on things behind the scenes, writing copy, thinking through strategy, cold outreaches for marketplaces and retailers, and handling admin tasks.

What we built

• A product range developed end to end. Four products, created with formulation labs and dermatologists, covering formulation, packaging design and testing.we only put three on the market: a body wash, body lotion and SPF 30 moisturiser.
• A multi-channel business. Our own online store, marketplaces including Amazon, independent retailers such as BlackOwned Manchester, and retail partnerships that opened the UK and French markets.
• B2B hospitality. A supply partnership with St. Clement Hotel in London, founded by Nick Jones of Soho House.
• Funding. We got grants and investment from Foundervine and the FAST Programme backed by African Leadership Academy and the Mastercard Foundation, alongside equity raised from investors.

Recognition

• 2024 Afro Hair & Beauty Live Award, New Emerging Brand
• Featured in the Daily Mirror, Black Beauty & Hair Magazine and Ampule (Japan)

What I learnt

• Launch faster and cheaper. We spent two years in development before our first sale. Looking back, we should have gone to market sooner with a simpler offer and spoken to customers far earlier and more often. Their feedback would have shaped the products better than our assumptions did.
• Put yourself out there: I was content with getting things done behind the scenes, but you really have to show yourself to sell a consumer brand these days (most times)
• Think profit-first DABA was a weird mix between passion project and business, oscillitating between the two as we tried to figure out the industry and whether we would become profitable.

Visit DABA at getdaba.com or follow @getdaba. Get in touch: [your email or LinkedIn].