The skincare industry is a vast and ever-developing
sector in every country of the world. The growth of the industry can be
attributed to the growing awareness about the importance of skincare, thanks to
the internet and social media (influencers play a big role in this rise in
awareness), the change in beauty standards, advanced technology, research and
growing focus on self-love and self-care. The industry encompasses the
production, marketing and sales of various skincare products and treatments.
The sector is well saturated with various brands which provide unique
formulations, ingredients and claims, giving consumers the ability to choose
whichever product works for them. And with the rising issue of climate change,
many skincare brands are leaning towards clean products and sustainable
packaging. Skincare is simply the practice of taking care of one’s skin to
maintain the health of not just the skin but the body as a whole and its
appearance.

Skincare is an important part of health and wellness,
but unfortunately, not everyone views it that way. Also, in some countries,
there is a lot of misinformation and lies that permeate the industry which
defeats the whole purpose of skincare. This is because using the wrong products
due to misinformation and lies can lead to other complications, beyond the
skin, that no one planned for.

In Nigeria, a country, where lies, misinformation, and
bleaching cream vendors have cast a shadow over the skincare industry, Gloria
Chiko Okpara shines like a beacon of light. With her immense following on
Instagram, Chiko is not just a skincare influencer, but also a knowledgeable
educator, virtual aesthetician, and trusted skincare product reviewer. She has
set out on a brave quest to change the narrative of skin care in the Nigerian
beauty industry, promoting scientifically-backed products and dispelling
misinformation.&nbsp;

We had the incredible opportunity to interview this Gloria
Chiko. In this exclusive interview, we delved into the captivating world of
skincare in Nigeria with Chiko, exploring her journey, insights, and valuable
advice on skincare. Through thought-provoking questions and engaging
discussions, we tapped into Chiko's brilliant mind, and now we're excited to
bring this enlightening interview to you, our cherished readers. Get ready to
learn a thing or two from Chiko —we certainly did!

What made you get into
the skincare industry?

I have always been a beauty girl interested in
skincare, makeup and all of that because of my mum, who is a girlie girl. Also,
due to my skin struggles as a child which made visits to the dermatologist a
norm, skincare and things beauty related became a part of my growing up. In my
final year of university, I got really interested in skincare products which
led me to start experimenting and even start like a private-label skincare
brand. At that time, there were a lot of Nigerian skincare brands and all of them
were into organic bleaching creams and pro mixing this and that, with clearly
no qualification. So, they were the only brands I could compare what I was
trying to build at the time. As a scientist myself, due to my science
background, I kind of knew that something was wrong with what these brands were
doing.&nbsp; However, at that time I wasn’t a
skincare professional, so I wasn’t sure what was wrong. This prompted me to
carry out research and from my findings, I realized that a lot of Nigerian
brands at the time were thriving of a lot of misinformation, which I must say
was totally unethical. As a result, I began to read more scientific journals
and it was then I started to create content on my Instagram page, also known as
“The Skintelligent Chic.” My content was (and still is) geared towards
correcting misinformation that was everywhere at the time. With that, I got
more and more interested in skincare as a professional. This led me to network
and connect with skincare professionals outside of Nigeria because, at the
time, there were not many Nigerian skincare spaces doing the right thing.
Networking with these foreign professionals made me learn about how other
countries had aestheticians, skincare consultants, cosmetic chemists and all
that. It got really interesting. 

After a while, I came across a scholarship that was
offered by Beauty Therapist Institute. Hillary, one of my mentors in the
skincare industry, was sponsoring a few students to get professionally trained.
I tried my luck and won the scholarship. This was the first professional
training that I did. The training was for cosmetic science which gave me the
certification to be a consultant. After this, I decided to go further by taking
courses from a couple of online institutes that are based in the United States
and the United Kingdom, to get professional certification as an aesthetician— still
trying to decide whether I want to touch people’s faces and go in fully. But
for now, I have decided to use my knowledge and expertise to try and correct
misinformation online and share science-based advice with people when it
relates to skincare. Aside from the certification, I also develop myself
continuously by carrying out more research and keeping up with evolving trends,
as science changes and things keep evolving over time. In essence, certificates
are good but continuous learning is better.

What do you think are the
biggest challenges people face in their skincare journey?&nbsp;

I think it varies between certain demographics. I
wouldn’t say there’s any challenge that’s common to everybody but there is a
common ground when it comes to people in certain demographics. I have worked
with clients in Nigeria, the UK, Canada, the US and other countries and I came
to realize that certain things are peculiar to each location. So, for Nigerians
in Nigeria, the major challenge they face is hyperpigmentation. It is a major
challenge a lot of people have. My interaction with these people has led me to
discover that the reason for this challenge is mainly because they do not have
the right knowledge when it comes to handling their skin. A lot of the hyperpigmentation
stems from bleaching and Nigeria has the highest number of skin bleachers in
the whole world. So, a lot of the hyperpigmentation problems I have encountered
start when people bleach their skin and expose themselves to the sun, as
well.&nbsp; In addition, when people start
their skincare routines and they feel like it's not working, they try something
else and then keep going around in circles.

In essence, another challenge Nigerians have regarding
their skincare routine is that they are not consistent with it. This is because
they are already used to using a product for a week and when it doesn’t give
them the result they are looking for, they jump to another product. Then the
jump from one product to another begins until one gets a skin that they no
longer recognize. This is when they realize that dermatologists exist, and
aestheticians exist. As they expect these professionals to perform magic, which
usually doesn’t end well. So it’s a vicious cycle which I hope we’re able to
break soon.

Do you use the products
that you influence?&nbsp;

Yes, I use the products I influence. However, I have a
process before using them because being an influencer does not mean I will use
every product that comes my way. I have to be careful because my skin is really
expensive to maintain. But one thing is for sure, any product that makes it to
my page is approved by me for you to buy because I have definitely done my
research and tested it out for a long period of time before I use it. On a more
professional and not influencing level, I also recommend products that I
haven’t used. So, when I see a product, do my research on the product and feel
like my clients or the general public is going to benefit from it, I don’t have
to use it before I recommend people to use it because maybe I don’t have the
skin concern that product is meant to handle.

Do you have any proud
moments that made you feel like you chose the right path?

I have a number of those. I have had people who go
through my page, pick a product based on my review, try it and then come back
to me and tell me how the product worked exactly as I said it would and things
like that. I also have had clients who send me their before and after pictures.
Clients that I have worked with years ago would also randomly hit me up and
send me an email with “Oh, my skin is still on track.” Some of them just send
me messages to thank me for my help in dealing with their skin struggles. I
have had situations where I helped people that were bleaching. I‘ve held their
hands through the process of stopping bleaching creams and then getting them
started with proper skincare. Also, some people leave comments on my post about
bleaching that they would stop bleaching or they stopped because of the post
and their skin is doing better and all that. There are times I say to myself if
my post reaches at least one person and makes an impact, it is fine by me. It
makes me happy.

Do you have criteria that
brands must meet before you influence their products?

Yes, I do have a lot of criteria. Number one is no
bleaching brand. I will never make a post about a brand that sells bleaching
products, whether Nigerian or foreign. This is mainly because it is totally
against what I believe as a person. So, if I know that your brand’s emo is skin
lightening, or skin whitening or you are selling a product according to the
complexion and saying this product is for light people and dark people, I will
never work with you. I also look at the packaging of the products. I go for the
more aesthetic packaging. However, if the substance of the product is good, I
can ignore the packaging.&nbsp; 

Would you recommend
Nigerian-made products to people?

Yes, I do recommend but only a few of them because I
know and I have experienced some Nigerian products that are better than some of
their counterparts from other countries. So for instance, if a serum made by a
Nigerian brand that I trust is selling for 20,000 naira, there is a high chance
that the serum is way better than a similar serum from a foreign brand, selling
at the same price. My logic behind this is that the one made in Nigeria selling
20,000 naira means it is of high quality but the foreign serum cost, maybe
$10.12, and when imported to Nigeria increases to the price of 20,000 naira. So
there are some products I will rather buy from a Nigerian brand and others that
I will never buy from a Nigerian brand. I am simply very open-minded. So, of
course, I would recommend Nigerian brands. I already do. I sincerely believe
that I am the first person in the Nigerian skincare space to talk about
Nigerian brands, using them and recommending them wholeheartedly. 

One thing I will not recommend is Nigerian brands that
use the word ‘organic’ to describe their products, especially because of the
bad reputation the name has. Even if it’s not a Nigerian brand, as long as it
says organic, I will not recommend it. Organic as a word does not make sense to
me, so I will not recommend it.&nbsp; 

In this article, we will delve into the captivating world of skincare in Nigeria with Chiko, exploring her journey, insights, and valuable advice on skincare. 