MIDWEEK REPORTER
MIDRAND, SOUTH AFRICA-Necessity is the mother of invention and this aptly describes Cameroonian entrepreneur, Iris Belomo who is using sheep, goat, camel and donkey milk to make beauty products.
The business of manufacturing shampoo, skincare products, lotion, beauty soap from milk and cacao has transformed Belomo’s life to become one of the leading suppliers of the products in South Africa and beyond from her base in Midrand, Johannesburg.
Iris Natural Beauty Pvt Ltd was incorporated in 2020 in South Africa and has a compliment of nine employees.
“Iris Natural Beauty is a Company based in Johannesburg, that produces skincare products from farm animal milk and fruits oils,” said the soft spoken and shy Belomo who knows her products like the back of her skin.
She said donkey milk is very moisturizing for the skin, nourishes the skin, or even the driest, most sensitive & reactive skin. Donkey milk contains essential fatty acids and amino acids that are essential for cell construction. It nourishes and helps in the regeneration of the skin as well.
“In addition to lactic acid, goat milk contains fatty acids that help repair the skin barrier, probiotics (enhance health) to encourage the growth of normal skin flora, and vitamin A to help gently exfoliate or shade top skin and those fatty acids also contribute to noticeably softer skin.
“As for camel milk, it supports skin elasticity, contains vitamin C, and is rich in skin-loving ingredients like alpha-hydroxy acids that leave your skin soft and smooth.
“Sheep milk is by far more superior to other types of animal milk, such as cow and goat, as it has more vitamins, minerals, protein, and butterfat, and is easier for humans to digest.
“It is very rare to find sheep milk for sale in supermarkets or public places as it only available during certain periods of the year or seasonally,” she added.
Belomo’s initiative is in line with the Pan African Parliament’s thrust on natural herbs and indigenous health remedies for people from the continent as they are affordable and easily available.
Belomo said sheep milk is naturally very nutritious and there are immense health benefits of consuming it including improving your skin texture and colour.
According to Wikipedia milk in general has been used as a beauty aid for thousands of years, improving a variety of skin problems including redness, acne, wrinkles, and enlarged pores. Milk is a gentle cleanser, moisturizer, exfoliator, pore minimizer, and even awesome at soothing sunburn.
Belomo said benefits of sheep milk are many and they, “moisturizing the skin because of the fats in sheep milk, reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.
“It brightens skin for a youthful glow. Sheep milk has lactic acid, an alpha-hydroxy acid, which is a gentle and natural skin exfoliant. It reduces redness and breakouts because of the anti-microbial and anti-inflammatory properties found in sheep milk protein.
“It protects and repairs skin to preserve and improve the youthful appearance of your skin. The high concentration of vitamins and minerals, especially vitamin E, are awesome antioxidants hence it is one of top ingredients for our skincare products.
“We highly recommend sheep milk to anyone be it women or men,” she said.
Iris Beauty Care also specializes in organic beauty products made from oranges, bananas, cacao, carrots just name a few.
“Cacao butter has immense benefits that include treatment of eczema and common skin irritation, strengthens the immune system, helps in preventing stretch marks, rejuvenates the skin and is very rich in vitamins and trace elements,” said Belomo.
They produce a range of pure organic products like, jojoba oil, carrot, orange oil, mango oil, avocado oil and saffron oil.
“My interest in organic products came about when I visited Chàd and discovered camel milk. I realized that this product was not being represented in the African continent and decided to create awareness of its tremendous benefits.
“While in Chad, I met Laurence – an Ivorian organic cacao and coffee farmer – and once I understood the amazing benefits of cacao, I teamed up with the TRANSPACI Associàtion.
“This association is a group of farmers in the Ivory Coast, who promote best and safe practices in growing organic produce.
“In South Africa, where I live now, I teamed up with an organic chemist to develop a range of organic and clean skin care products, by using camel milk and cacao butter imported from the Ivory Coast.
“We also import and package clean organic chocolate, and essential oils for distribution throughout the African continent,” she added.
She also said she was inspired by the fact that women do about 70% of the work on Ivory Coast cacao farms, and receive very little money for their labour. Due to their extremely low income, they can’t afford to send their kids to school, or to have three meals per day.
Transpaci was established to help the Ivorian women get more for their toil. They help these women to sell their harvested Cacao products throughout Africa at better prices. Being a member of Transpaci, Iris Natural Beauty Products gives back 50% on each cacao product sold to the women in Ivory Coast.
She said they do not buy any farm produce gotten through child labour or slavery and their products are natural for quality control.
