Beiwty Rishrish Cosmetics is no ordinary cosmetic company.
The company’s brand identity and packaging style may be pink and elegant, but don’t let that fool you – the products are grounded in real science. They are also non-toxic and cruelty-free. Founder Florish Adebayo draws on her biochemistry degree to develop beauty and skin care products that not only nourish and protect but also address sensitive and eczema-prone skin.
As Adebayo picks up a centrifuge with a white cream inside, she explains the testing process each product undergoes before it goes to market. She has just moved into a small workshop on Barrydowne Road in Sudbury. She hopes to dedicate more time to her company now that she has graduated from university and won two separate business pitch competitions: the first, held earlier this year by Laurentian University’s The Foundry; and the second, most recently, by the Northern Ontario Black Economic Empowerment Program.
The company name is ‘beauty’ spelled in an alternate form because, as Adebayo explains, the way beauty is perceived varies from person to person. The second word of the company’s name, Rishrish, is her nickname.
Adebayo makes beauty products like lip balms, oils and scrubs, but also offers a full line of makeup, as well as a skin care line with ingredients that have scientifically proven benefits.
Adebayo graduated in June with a degree in biochemistry from Laurentian University. Her undergraduate thesis was to measure the impact of antibiotic use on hydrogen sulfide generation in mouse liver and kidney tissue.
But her passion is skincare and clean beauty solutions. During her academic career, she wrote and reviewed papers on the research behind different causes of eczema, a condition she has suffered from since she was a child. As she grew older, the condition remained, worsening in the winter, she assumes because of the northern climate.
“I got frustrated, and when I was 17, I said I couldn’t take it anymore,” she said. “I started doing research, even before I got into Laurentian. I started making products, but hadn’t opened the business.”
In 2021, in the first year of her university studies, she gathered some friends and asked them to try out her beauty products. Her friends were impressed, and Adebayo realized what she had originally created for herself was marketable. She held her first pop-up market on university grounds, and as popularity grew, she expanded her product line, eventually introducing a line of body care products.
“That took a lot of research to figure out the formulas and best ingredients,” she said. “I took some online courses on cosmetic formulation and areas like that.”
Sourcing ingredients wasn’t difficult, but finding the right price point was trickier, though crucial for Adebayo because she wanted her products to remain affordable, especially for people suffering from skin conditions.
Adebayo has found relief from her eczema with regular use of her body oils, which contain, among other ingredients, castor, jojoba, coconut and sweet almond oils. “I use this every single day, and it controls my flare-ups,” she said. “I haven’t had flare-ups in such a long time. Usually, my flare-ups get worse in the winter and, so far, so good.”
Her body oils are available with and without fragrance for sensitive skin.
The shea butter and mango body yogurt, which is not as thick as a traditional cream or butter, smells exactly as the title suggests – mango yogurt. “There’s no yogurt in it,” she laughed, adding that the product contains water, oils and oatmeal, which helps to soothe eczema.
All products are handmade and in small batches – she prefers to maintain quality control.
“In the future, I want a bigger lab,” said Adebayo. “If I can find a lab that can manufacture my products for me with my formulas, that would be amazing. I have been reaching out to a few labs to see, but it’s a bit expensive.”
You can purchase Beiwty Rishrish Cosmetics through the company website at www.beiwtyrish.com and at the Sudbury Market on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Elm Place Mall. Follow Beiwty Rishrish on Facebook and Instagram.
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