HER STORY ⟡ Awa Mbaye
Hey beautiful, I am Awa founder and CEO of Natural AWA, a clean, ethical, and sustainable natural skincare brand inspired by Africa’s best kept beauty secrets. I am a mom of 5, a nature lover, and a natural beauty passionate. I grew up in Senegal, West Africa, which is rich in raw ingredients and clean beauty rituals therefore I was naturally exposed to natural ingredients.
Growing up, I was insecure about my complexion and natural ingredients were my refuge and what helped me be confident in my own skin. When I moved in the US from Senegal (West Africa), I experienced skin irritations and my mom would send me shea butter and some oils to use and make my own moisturizer. After I became pregnant for the first time, I became more conscious about what we put on our skin goes inside our entire body. I started researching products in the skincare industry and realized there are so many harmful chemicals in them. Which made me research even more about natural ingredients to find natural and safer alternative to use for my family. From there, I became more passionate about natural products and enrolled in a Diploma in Natural Skincare which enabled me to professionally formulate my own products. With a leap of faith, I embarked on a journey which took me back to my African origins and a career shift with the launch of Natural AWA (Authentic Wonders from Africa).
What I love about owning a small business beside being my own boss is that it allows me to go places I never would have gone and meet people I would never had met. I love the community involvement also. However, I get the most satisfaction with my business when customers reach out to express how they enjoy using a particular product and how it made them love their skin. I just love that boost of self-confidence our products help provide and that’s what keeps me going.
Our Brand missions and visions help me stay inspired. I created Natural AWA to make
people feel confident in their own skin by offering natural and safer alternative beauty products to enhance the beauty, so people love the skin they are in and celebrate their authenticity regardless of their skin color. My vison is to improve communities through beauty by empowering the women we work with because we work with different cooperatives of women from Africa by sourcing our ingredients through fair trade and providing sustainable incomes to those rural communities so they can have decent lives with their families. So, knowing that we are impacting people lives keep me motivated and inspired.
I also get my inspiration from my family and women in general therefore I like to attend events that boost my self-motivation and empower me to reach my goals. I also know the importance of selfcare therefore I know when to take a break which allow me to refuel, be consistent, and keep being creative.
Learn more about our story, missions, and products we offer at www.naturalawa.com
