#033: Delanique Millwood on building Skintellect, a retailer for African beauty brands
Did you know that okra is a natural retinoid? Because I did not.
There are very few people in the world who make me gasp when I look at the genuine glow in their face. Delanique is one of them and I don’t say that lightly. Delanique’s radiance is one of those rarified auras that is as warm as it is all-encompassing, by way of her beauty but also her demeanor: kind, funny, supportive, sharp. It makes perfect sense that she’s an authority in the skincare and beauty space, along with her position as a multi-hyphenate creative in the content space. She is also a talent manager and brand manager of partnerships at BOND OFFICIAL, a men’s lifestyle publication
I sat down with Delanique one cold late afternoon at the iconic cafe inside Hotel Chelsea and chatted about her newest venture, Skintellect, a beauty retailer championing African beauty. This is my first guest interview on my newsletter and I definitely want to keep doing more of these.
Laura (L): Ok, so what’s the deal with A-beauty?
Delanique (D): Just to preface, A-beauty isn’t a category that’s very established as of yet. There’s a lot of conversation around what Africa’s place in beauty is right now, especially with the growth of Africans and African Americans in music, fashion, art and culture. So there’s now an interest in African beauty, which is essentially products made with African botanicals that are rooted in clean beauty and sustainability. But because of the west’s exploitation of African resources throughout history, these African beauty brands are championing ethical sourcing and carry a badge of honor for using African resources sourced in a responsible way. A lot of the ingredients in A-beauty products target hyperpigmentation, which is what a lot of black women and women of color struggle with. But A-beauty isn’t just for black skin or melanin-rich skin. Everyone can benefit from these products. When we look at specific ingredients that help with hyperpigmentation, for example, they’re all from Africa! Marula oil, moringa oil, baobab oil, even okra!
L: Okra? Like the vegetable?
D: Yeah! It’s full of antioxidants and a lot of people don’t know that okra is also a natural retinoid. I’m using an okra serum right now and it’s great.
L: Wow, I had no idea. And okra is such a common vegetable all across Africa, right?
D: It’s so common, yeah. It’s a root vegetable so there’s so much innovation that can be done with a root vegetable.
L: Ok so that brings me to my next question. What ingredients are typical and special to A-beauty? ‘Cause it’s still such a new space and I feel like the average person will just think of shea butter when they hear A-beauty. But I know there’s so much more to it than that.
D: There are so many beautiful nuts that can be cold-pressed and turned into nourishing oils. And then there are a few ingredients that aren’t oils that are special to African beauty, like teff grass for example. Teff grass is basically a wild grass grown in East Africa and it’s used to fight inflammation and strengthen the skin barrier. We have an amazing teff grass retinol on the site that has powerful anti-aging properties.
L: And what’s the ingredient that’s in all of Koba’s products? Because I’m OBSESSED with Koba, especially the body butter.
D: Safou oil! So basically safou is a purple pear from West Africa that you can find all over local markets and even on the roadside. The fruit is rich in vitamins A and C and contains magnesium, potassium, and calcium. The nuts inside the safou are cold-pressed and turned into oil. You can also press the entire fruit as well and Koba actually sources safou oil from a whole fruit press to get all the benefits from its rich, oily pulp. It’s incredible! No one in America has even heard of safou oil but if you ask anyone from Congo or Rwanda, they know it so well. Also, speaking of Rwanda, moringa oil is huge there.
L: Oh my god, moringa oil is everywhere now. I’m seeing it in so many brands with a crazy price point.
D: So most of these brands are probably sourcing their moringa oil from Africa and not properly citing their source or how they are ethically sourcing the ingredient. The supply chain gets messy and it’s not as transparent as it should be. We have a beautiful moringa oil by GlowRX that’s $35, which is so much more affordable than the ones you see in the market right now by American brands… It’s a beautiful concoction that is deeply nourishing and targets hyperpigmentation. And the founder of GlowRX is from Rwanda and she sources her moringa oil directly from Rwanda! Same with the founder of Koba—she’s Congolese and sources her safou oil from Congo. They’re supporting the livelihoods and economy of the artisans in these local communities.
L: Right, one of my favorite ampoules from Korea is this 100% centella asiatica one where they source the ingredient from Madagascar. And it’s all over their packaging but then it’s like… ok, how are you actually sourcing this, are you giving back to the communities helping you get this ingredient, who is benefitting? It’s all muddled.
D: You just don’t know. This is why I’m so adamant about having an A-beauty category because A-beauty isn’t new! These aren’t new concepts; the African civilization is one of the oldest ones out there. These are ancient botanicals that have been used for centuries. Because the category of A-beauty isn’t developed, the industry lumps it all into “Black beauty”. Imagine if K-beauty was just called “Asian beauty”. Like, what? So for us, it’s all about carving out a space that’s niche enough to highlight the benefits of black beauty products but going deeper culturally and highlighting what makes these regional ingredients so special. Because they’re already in so many beauty products by the brands we know and love.
L: When I think of Korean beauty’s ethos, it’s this idea that more is more. We have such a maximalist approach to skincare and we’re constantly innovating and doing the most. And Koreans also view beauty in a 360 holistic approach, through ingestibles and specific lifestyle choices. But then you look at the French girls and they have like one cream, probably smoke and eat all these things that Americans would say cause breakouts but somehow they’re all fine, haha. So what is the ethos behind African beauty?
D: I love this question so much because I was just thinking about this the other day. It’s literally a mixture of the two. With A-beauty, it’s definitely not a maximalist approach. It’s a quite “less is more” attitude and you see a lot of women just wearing one face oil whether it’s a blend or a single ingredient. On the flip side, cigarette culture is definitely not a thing for us. We look at beauty as a holistic ritual for sure, like Koreans. We eat whole fruits, whole foods. Even the way safou oil is extracted: we’re utilizing the whole fruit. We can ingest it, eat it, drink it, and we can compress it and put it on our face. With okra too, we can eat it but also combine it with very innovative science and make a retinoid. You know what I mean? It’s a whole food approach to minimalist skincare. And we are the masters of hyperpigmentation.
L: Oh? Tell me more.
D: Hyperpigmentation is the number one area of concern for African women. Because we think our natural melanin is enough sun protection but it’s not. And hyperpigmentation is the literal result of sun damage. Especially when using all these powerful natural acids and retinoids, we need SPF to protect our skin because these acids make our skin more susceptible to sun damage!
L: Where’s a good starting point for those interested in the world of A-beauty?
D: First, Skintellect. I just want Skintellect to be a space for people to discover all these amazing products for whatever skin concern they have. It’s essentially a discoverability platform where you’re introduced to products that are an easy entry into the ingredients you are curious about and could potentially transform your skin. I want consumers to feel good about supporting black-owned, African-owned brands that are benefiting the communities the ingredients are derived from. It’s important to feel good about your purchase.
L: It’s so important. And it’s also just fun to be able to discover new ingredients for the first time from a platform that is so candid and transparent.
D: A brand like GlowRX, for example, would never show up on a google search if you type in moringa oil. You’ll see the bigger brands with the bigger marketing budget come up first and that’s what I’m trying to change. The products on Skintellect are all ethically sourced, they uplift their local communities, and they’re just as good, if not better, than the brands you’ll see on that initial google search.
L: I’m literally going to do a deep dive into A-beauty when I get back home.
D: Yes! Just browse Skintellect and also just do some searching on your own on what African beauty is. Spark a convo with a friend who also loves skincare. There’s a whole new world of ingredients in A-beauty that’s so interesting, I’m still learning everyday.
L: I never thought the world would accept snail mucin, but here we are.
D: That’s insane. Yeah, everyone uses it. I just got it.
L: My mom would buy it for me in high school when I had all this hormonal teenage acne and I thought it was so weird but now it’s like the most popular product on Amazon right now. It’s crazy.
D: Exactly! I mean, marketing can only get you so far. The product itself needs to be amazing for people to keep reaching for it over and over again. You’ve never heard of Koba before our event, right? And now you’ve tried it, you love it, the product is amazing, the packaging is beautiful. You would have never known because why would you google safou oil in the first place? So educating yourself is a good place to start.
L: The one thing skincare junkies do is we try everything. Like, we just love trying new products.
D: It’s the best part and it’s why the skincare girls are so knowledgeable about what works and what doesn’t. It’s all about building your own database and Skintellect is another place to start gathering your own skincare data.