Having inherited a love of herbs and ancient beauty rituals from her centenarian grandmother, Lovinah founder and former software developer, Joy Ekhator, created a skincare brand that strengthens the relationship between herbal ingredients and the mind, body and soul.
Here, Joy tells us about how pregnancy and hormonal imbalance changed her skin, why we should all learn more about fermentation, and gatekeeping black beauty secrets.
What’s your background with skincare, and how did it lead you to launch LOVINAH?
My background is in science and technology. I started off as a pre-med student and later changed to computer science. I grew up in a very traditional African home. My dad was a traditional chief and grandmother a natural healer. I developed my love for plants from watching my dad and grandmother administer herbs for different ailments.
After three back-to-back pregnancies and working full-time as a software developer, l suffered from hormonal imbalance and my kids also had skin problems. It was through this knowledge of plants that had been passed down from my grandmother, that I was able to heal my children and my own skin issues.
My interest in the connection between the mind, body and soul, bring LOVINAH users a well-balanced experience, and an opportunity to experience my personal knowledge of ancient beauty rituals with western fusion.
LOVINAH is a powerful union of ancient holistic rituals using traditional herbs, exotic oils and extracts, perfected by modern technology to give the skin a supernatural glow, while honouring individual divine beauty.
Can you tell us about how your pregnancies affected your skin?
Pregnancy is a blessing, but also comes with challenges. I had three children in 3.5 years while also working full-time. Pregnancy can affect our bodies in many ways. Some are obvious and some are not. For me, I gained a lot of weight, l suffered from cystic acne and my body just felt depleted. It took a very long time to heal. My skin suffered the most and I am still dealing with dark spots and hyperpigmentation due to acne scars
Hormonal imbalance can cause skin problems, but it’s not often talked about. What are some skin-related symptoms associated with hormonal imbalance?
Very good question as I suffered from hormonal imbalance for years. Our body works with hormones to keep a balance. Hormones work as chemical messengers in our body and when the hormones are off-balance, we start developing skin issues such as acne, rosacea, dryness, fine lines and wrinkles.
There are some natural and effective ways to balance hormones, like eating a healthy diet, getting enough sleep, reducing stress, exercising regularly, and trying to live a healthier lifestyle. It’s also a good practice to discuss any changes in your skin or body with your primary care doctor or dermatologist and any changes in menstrual cycle with your gynaecologist.
Recently there’s been a trend for prebiotic and probiotic skincare – but you’ve already included these ingredients in your products for years! What are prebiotics and probiotics, and what can they do for our skin?
This topic is very close to my heart as fermentation was a part of my upbringing. Centuries of fermentation originated from ancient Africa, where the microbes associated with fermented foods are highly beneficial to the body, skin and total wellbeing. Many African communities do not have access to antibiotics. They depend on probiotics from fermented foods to survive.
Fermentation is an ancient ritual that’s been practiced for many centuries to naturally preserve certain foods. Modern scientific research is now proving that these probiotic-rich ingredients benefit the skin thanks to their powerful ability to fortify the skin microbiome and enhance overall skin health.
Fermentation is a natural booster that makes ingredients more powerful, which is why it’s at the heart of everything we do here at LOVINAH.
What is fermentation?
Fermentation is a natural process in which yeast secretes enzymes, amino acids, vitamins, lactic acid, Hyaluronic acid, antioxidants thanks to the fermentation process. It helps the skin absorb active ingredients better, making them more effective, it boosts the production of ceramides, which forms a barrier on the skin and helps the skin to retain moisture. Other great benefits of fermentation in skincare are:
- the ability to fight off skin-aging free radicals
- boost collagen production
- repair elasticity
- reduce breakouts
- and improve skin texture
Just like our gut, the skin hosts billions of living micro-organisms, forming the skin microbiome. But unlike our gut, the skin’s microbiome lives outside the, body protecting it against environmental stressors and affecting the appearance of the skin. When the skin’s microbiome is healthy, it helps to boost the hydration by replenishing the skin barrier to retain moisture. But as we age, some of these good microbes either dies or become outnumbered by harmful microbes. When this happens, the skin’s barrier, which is our first line of defense against harmful environmental stressors become weak, causing premature aging, acne, dull, dry, flaky and other skin problems. Probiotic, prebiotic and postbiotics help to balance and preserve healthy microbes.
Do you ever give in to skincare trends?
No I don’t, because these are really not something new. Like slugging, for example – this has been happening in traditional African homes for centuries. Or the skin cycling that’s suddenly all over TikTok. This is just common sense, where active ingredients like retinol shouldn’t be used daily to avoid harming the skin barrier.
What’s your hero product?
Dragon’s Blood Dark Spots Correcting Serum. This is an amazing product, formulated with fermented rooibos tea and eight skin brightening ingredients targeting hyperpigmentation using different pathways to help even out skin tone. l use this product twice daily because l break out easily and this serum helps to keep breakouts at bay.
Many traditional African beauty regimes were passed orally to the next generation, as was true with yourself and your grandmother. What’s the best beauty secret that she taught you?
To start from the inside. My grandmother believed beauty comes from within. She taught me to detox by cleansing myself from the inside before trying to fix the outside. In ancient African medicine, they used tree barks, herbs and different medicinal plants to detoxify the body before trying to fix the outside. Like moringa, it’s a great detoxifying and natural cleansing plant. She made us eat and drink her herbal potions religiously. I still practice her detoxifying ritual to this day.
What’s your opinion on gatekeeping black beauty secrets so that they aren’t appropriated by big-name brands and TikTok influencers?
Unfortunately, we are dealing with tough times, where performative activism is alive and kicking. But in all honesty, anyone can use whatever product they so desire. This has nothing to do with race, ethnicity, or cultural background. People ask me all the time if LOVINAH is only for African people and my response is always the same; we are for everyone. However, l feel black beauty secrets should be preserved within the black community. We hear about ayurvedic beauty rituals because it was well documented, but within the black community, our ancestors did not have the foresight or means to document our healing holistic rituals. It’s our job to start documenting and educating people about black beauty secrets, to avoid bigger brands appropriating our ancestral heritage. Education is key, as bigger brands are now facing more intense scrutiny and rejection for mining black culture. Consumers are now looking towards smaller indie brands that are talking about and embracing black beauty rituals. This was long overlooked. I feel very privileged that l can share my knowledge and experience of ancient African beauty with the world through LOVINAH.
What are the three skincare products you always carry when travelling?
Dragon’s Blood Cleansing Oil as it does everything from removing makeup to cleansing the face thoroughly; Dragon’s Blood Dark Spots Correcting Serum to help keep skin blemishes and dark spots at bay; and Dragon-C Vitamin C face oil to help seal everything in and give me that dewy complexion.
Joy’s picks
This is a catchy title
Dragon’s Blood Anti-oxidant Cream, $115
