How Uncover Became a Skincare Favourite Across Africa

African skincare is having its moment, and few brands have captured the conversation quite like Uncover Skincare. Founded by Jade Oyateru and Sneha Mehta, the brand has quickly grown into an African skin favourite by creating products that put melanated skin at the centre.

Building a bridge between two worlds, Uncover is building a skincare range around the realities of African skin, bringing together the continent’s rich botanical ingredients with Korean skincare technology. It’s consumer favourites, include its iconic sunscreen, formulated without the dreaded white cast, to targeted solutions for hyperpigmentation, acne and dehydration, and many more.

But behind the products is a bigger story about representation, and building a beauty brand for a market that has long been underserved. We sat down with co-founder Jade Oyateru to talk about the experience that sparked Uncover, the thinking behind its formulations, the challenges of building across African markets and how the brand is staying true to its purpose as it grows.

Hello Jade, thank you for joining us today.

Hello! I am happy to be here.

Let’s start at the beginning. What was happening in the skincare space that made you and Sneha think, “We need to build something for African women”?

Well, we could see that African women were investing heavily in skincare, yet very few brands were truly creating products with our skin tones, climates and concerns in mind. We were expected to choose from what was already available and somehow make it work for us.

That gap became very personal through my cofounder Sneha’s experience. She struggled with severe acne and tried product after product, but many of the harsh treatments available did not solve the problem. Instead, they burned and damaged her skin, creating even more inflammation and…