Ogonna Chibueze on Rebuilding a Beauty Brand

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