Beauty Roots
You cant create a brand if its not going to help sustain thepeoplethat are sustaining the brand.
Abena Boamahsapproach to beauty is pretty straightforward: Its all about keeping it simple.
Growing up in a Ghanaian household, beauty was very simplified, Boamah tells me over Zoom.
It was more around like cleanliness and taking care of yourself.
Confidence is beauty for her, something she thanks her mom for instilling.
My mom is the most confident person I know.
I never felt I needed [makeup to be beautiful], she adds.
At home, I would be like, Okay I look nice and washed I look good.
So [societys definition of beauty] was confusing.
Keeping her skin healthy and well-nourished was all done with the help of raw Ghanaianshea butter.
At first, the products she created were just for herself.
The ethically-conscious brand has always done more than just showcase the beloved nourishing ingredient in its products.
What inspired you to start Hanahana Beauty?
[Starting a beauty business] wasn’t my intention when I first started making my own products.
What made you change your mind?
What sparked it for me was social medial.
This was earlier in social media times.
People were just watching me [using my own products] and wanted it too.
My parents were like, You should probably sell this.
I had a conversation with my roommate and was like, Yeah, I guess I could start this.
How was the beginning process of that like?
How did you come up with the name and what made you want to source directly from Ghana?
My dad is the one who came up with the name.
It’s like a slang word for something thats smooth.
So you’ll say like, Oh, thats hanahana.
Even when launching it, I was just so much more focused around the production of things.
Theres this Ghana-based beauty brandHamat Beauty.
Im Ghanaian, so I have to.
The way we say, theres no need to be ashy.
Theres ashiness obviously with skin but I think [its also] about how you move through life.
Theres really no need to move through life dry.
What was the most surprising thing you learned when creating your products?
The lack of sustainability behind it.
I didnt realize that people were purchasing shea butter for under a dollar.
I didnt realize cooperatives were making this still.
I love that sustainability is a big focus.
How does that tie in with Hanahanas initiative, Circle Of Care?
I wanted to be in a space where I could teach and learn.
How do we create intentional initiatives around people sustaining the brand?
Being able to curate learning experiences that create access to wellness and learning.
Also, environmentally, beauty and fashion are not the most sustainable things.
The environmental portion of theHanahana Circle Of Careis something that were continuously developing.
The farming, production, and just how things are going are things we are interested in.
But in everything that were doing, we want to take our time with research before we launch things.
You cant create a brand if its not going to help sustain the people that are sustaining the brand.
Thats a good point.
Some people dont understand theres a whole production team behind a single product.
It goes back to the other side too, right?
Brands can do more than just create product.
Were going to continue to ideate around how we can create solutions.
What is your personal skin care routine like?
My skin care routine is really simple.
I loveKlurs Gentle Matter Cleanser; its amazing.
Ill also use ourHanahana Beauty Black + Brown Exfoliating Cleansertoo.
I useTower 28 Beauty SOS Save.Our.Skin Daily Rescue Facial Sprayfor my toner.
I loveDieux Skins Deliverance Serum.
Ill use ourHanahana Beauty Shea Body Buttersall over my body and in my hair.
And sunscreen I loveSupergoop!
Youve mentioned that you didnt grow up with major hair and makeup influences when you were younger.
Has that changed now?
Its just still the simplicity [of hair and makeup].
I recently cut my hair; its Nia-Long-short-hair-in-the-90s-inspired.
I love the simplicity of a gloss.
I love ourHanahana Beauty Shea Lip Balm, but I also really loveAmi Coles Lip Oil.
Things that are really simple continue to inspire me.
I do love a pop of color, like an eyeliner color, sometimes.
