It still feels like yesterday when I met Mbali Sebapu in 2019. We were at a beauty event in Joburg and ended up sitting together because we didn’t have any plus ones. She told me a little about herself and her plans to leave the navy to follow her passion; beauty. A few months later, I bumped into her again in Durban at another beauty event, and I knew that she meant business when she told me about her plan of starting a beauty brand. In October that same year, a young woman from Soshanguve, a township in Pretoria, South Africa, braved out and launched Hermosa Flor Cosmetics.
Hermosa Flor Cosmetics is an inclusive beauty brand that caters for all makeup and beauty aficionados, including the LGBTQ+ community. Hermosa Flor comes from the Spanish meaning beautiful flower, which is synonymous with the owner’s name, Mbali, which means flower in Zulu. The brand prides itself in offering high-end beauty products such as make-up brushes, eyeshadow palettes, lipsticks and lipglosses, serums, cleansers and everything in between at affordable prices.
The 32-year-old successful businesswoman speaks to AMAKA about how she successfully built one of the most loved beauty brands in Africa.
Miss Sebapu, please tell us more about your family and upbringing.
I’m my mother’s only daughter, and I come from a family rooted in love and definitely some grit for business. I am definitely my dad’s and brothers’ Princess as well.
Before starting Hermosa Flor, you worked for the South African National Defence Force. What was it like?
It paid the bills and became a place to learn my strongest attributes, and I will now only single out discipline. I joined it when I was 18, and I was able to build a life that was suitable for me at that time.
After all those years, you left the navy to start your brand, Hermosa Flor Cosmetics. Where does the love for beauty come from?
It’s odd because I grew up so Tom-boyish, but I, over the years, fell in love with beauty, and it just became part of my personal care. I fell in love with the idea of being a pretty soldier.
Impressive. Who did you have in mind when you started the brand?
I was thinking of beauty and make-up enthusiasts who wanted to try various things but couldn't because of how quality is tied to price. I managed and intentionally created the brand for that particular group to experience what they love at the highest quality but affordable costs.
You have a store in Menlyn, the second biggest mall in South Africa. Also, your products are available in other African countries like Botswana and Eswatini, which are big achievements. How does that make you feel?
It’s years of grit and resilience, and it just reminds me that there’s always more on the other side. As long as I’m patient, I will attain what I envision.
Take us through the creative process of your products.
I design everything. From how the packaging should look, to the palette and the shades. And most importantly, I ask my audience and customers for their input on what they want because, after all, I make these products for them. I then send everything to my supplier for input before working on the samples. And if I am happy, then we go with the full production.
Hermosa Flor Cosmetics is one of the leading beauty brands in South Africa. What makes it stand out from the rest?
It’s a brand for all, including the LGBTQ+ community, who are a big part of the influence in beauty. Everyone is in the front. Secondly, it is high quality at an affordable price which is something we don’t compromise in ensuring that no one is not left behind.
Seeing that your brand is inclusive, how does it give back to the community?
We have a drive at Hermosa Flor where we give supplies to an NGO (Non-Profit Organisation). Secondly, in the past year, we took young people interested in make-up and beauty and trained them to not only give and leave but impart skills to improve their lives and their families.
Hermosa Flor Cosmetics is currently available in 3 African countries and growing tremendously. Where do you see the brand in the foreseeable future?
Global takeover! And I understand and know it will take time, but it’s definitely inevitable.
As a beauty brand owner, how would you define beauty?
Being comfortable with who and what you are. A world that leaves no one behind- which is hardly the case. However, Hermosa Flor continuously plants that seed.
Like any industry, the beauty sector also has its ups and downs. What are the challenges you face in the industry, and how do you tackle them?
There’s a lot, particularly for a young, Black woman, where your hard work is always tied to a man or someone behind. I share my work and the process to diminish the idea that women can’t be self-starters and create successful brands.