This story is about Chichi Eburu, who created her own Brand of makeup through Juvias Place.
Chichi Eburu was born on March 7th in Lagos, Nigeria. She often wondered what it would be like if she could create her own cosmetics brand someday as she watched other teens post selfies and glamour shots on social media with expensive products she couldn’t afford. She dreamed of launching a beauty line that would give girls from Nigeria the opportunity to have their favorite brands without breaking the bank.
“I started the brand because I wanted to create an affordable high-end makeup brand but unfortunately, I couldn’t find any affordable beauty lines that were cruelty free,” Chichi Eburu said. “In Nigeria, we love creating our own beauty products. For instance, my auntie makes her own body butter and she sells it for very cheap in Nigeria. And all of my cousins follow her steps and also make their own body butters.”
The idea of starting a cosmetics line was not just related to the cost of products in Nigeria but also to being able to spread awareness towards animal testing. Chichi Eburu said, “The idea was to create a brand that would make it possible for a girl in Nigeria to afford makeup without having animal testing.”
She continued, “When I was younger, I used to watch YouTube videos of makeup artists and stylists who were creating or selling their products. To see what they use and how they do it inspired me to create my own line as well.”
Chichi Eburu had been saving up money from her job at an IT firm but needed more capital in order to have a successful launch. She applied for the Juvias Place Microfinance Program which helps promising entrepreneurs with business ideas by funding them through micro loans with monthly interest rates ranging from 5-50%.