Rebuilding A Beauty Brand  – THISDAYLIVE

Born the same year Fair and White Paris launched in Nigeria, Ogonna Chibueze has grown alongside the skincare brand. Now an executive director of the company founded by her father, businessman Patrick Chibueze, she is focused on attracting younger generation to the legacy brand, writes Vanessa Obioha

The recently celebrated 30th anniversary of the Fair and White Paris skincare brand, along with the accompanying beauty pageant, was all the buzz. Online, young fashion and beauty influencers share snippets of the event ubiquitously, recounting their experience at the soiree, which took place at The Civic Centre, Lagos, last April, to their large pool of followers. From the ambience, meeting their favourite celebrities, fashion, cuisine to enjoying the musical ecstasy of Iyanya and Chike, they dished out every detail to their curious followers. As one influencer puts it, it was “a full experience.”

For Ogonna Chibueze, the newly appointed executive director of the brand, the event couldn’t have gone better. It was her first time spearheading a major milestone event for the company and, as she admitted during a recent virtual meeting, it was no easy task. She had to pull all the strings to ensure everything ran smoothly.

The second daughter of businessman Patrick Chibueze, Ms Chibueze was born the same year Fair and White Paris launched in Nigeria. By the age of five, she had already been introduced to the business world as her father’s company became the major distributor of the product in the country.

“Growing up, everyone in my family used Fair and White. I didn’t even know that there were other skincare products outside Fair and White. And on a personal level, it helped with my skin care.”

Gradually, she became more involved in the business, interning across different departments before leaving the country to study abroad. Although she studied Criminology at the University of Toronto with interests in human psychology and sociology, she never veered from skincare and beauty.

“I understand skincare from a holistic point of view. I studied nutrition so this helps me to understand the different phases of skincare.”

The knowledge she gained from her studies, she explained, has also helped in her role, particularly in the way she interacts with customers. For a brand with over 150 products catering to men and women of different skin tones and age groups, understanding customer needs is essential in helping them make the right choices.

Through these interactions, for instance, Ms Chibueze discovered that most younger ladies associate the brand with their mothers and often assume it is a bleaching product.

“What I love about the younger generation is the fact that they love their skin,” she said. “They love their melanin, their skin tone. They’re not trying to be what they’re not. So when I speak to them about their skin concerns, it’s  more so a  reassurance that if their mother has used  Fair and White for 30 years of her life and she still looks this younger than her age and her skin is healthy because as a skincare brand, we prioritise skin health, then you have to hop on the trend regardless of your complexion.”

She also observed that many Nigerians still desire lighter skin tones.

“Unfortunately, there’s this false narrative that the lighter a woman’s skin tone is, the more attractive and appealing she is to society. So a lot of people come to us asking for products that will make them whiter.”

Pausing for emphasis, she clarified the brand’s position.

“We don’t have any Fair and White products that bleach the skin. Our products are designed to maintain and enhance your natural complexion. We want it to bring out the best version of your skin tone.”

The young executive believes this obsession with lighter skin is deeply cultural.

“Being in the cosmetics industry, I have seen this a lot and I want it to change,” she said. “Anyone who takes care of their skin properly will get the best results. You will glow, and you are good enough. Every skin tone is beautiful as it is. You shouldn’t try to be anything other than yourself.”

Debunking another misconception, Ms Chibueze pointed out that the brand is not exclusively for women.

“We have products for everyone and you can see that the world is changing. Men are also becoming more interested in skincare and taking care of their skin.”

While loyalty from long-term customers has contributed to the brand’s staying power, Ms Chibueze attributes much of its longevity to science-based research focused on healthy skin.

“Remember the product was founded by a French pharmacist for melanin skin,” she explained. “We ensure that every ingredient used is beneficial and not detrimental to the skin.”

But in a very competitive skincare market, can legacy be enough to sustain relevance? Innovation, according to Ms Chibueze, remains central to the company’s future.

“While we retain our basic vision which is skin health, we are also evolving with the times. I know that Korean skincare is trending among young people now and we are looking at ways to see how these routines can benefit the melanin skin.”

One of the boldest attempts to connect with younger consumers was the beauty pageant staged as part of the anniversary celebration. The competition attracted over 200 applications from across the country, with contestants vying for the N10 million grand prize.

Cherish  Nwakanma, a Microbiology graduate of The Federal University of Agriculture took home the coveted crown. The first and second runners-up, Chiamaka Nzeakor and Ujunwa Mbaegbu won N7.5 million and N5 million respectively.

According to Ms Chibueze, the pageant was designed not just as entertainment, but as a strategic tool to engage younger audiences. Although the company has organised beauty pageants in the past, she intends to make it a stronger part of the brand’s future identity.

“The beauty pageant is a sort of marketing tool that will enable us to speak to the younger ones, give them an opportunity as well to further their career, whatever it might be, and learn how to take care of their skin. It is my own personal vision for the brand moving forward.”

With the anniversary celebration now in the rearview, Ms Chibueze is now focused on the future of the brand and the generation she hopes to win over. Armed with lessons in consistency, detail and discipline from the milestone event, she appears determined to ensure that Fair and White evolves with changing beauty conversations while remaining rooted in its original promise of healthy skin.