How my interest in natural skin care products started

I can't say that I have been taking care of my skin since I was young, using all kinds of homemade natural skin care products, because it was really far from that! I can't count on two hands (or 3) the number of times I came home, completely covered in dust from construction sites that we saw as a playground, with open knees, elbows and abrasions. When I got home, it really wasn't about giving my skin a boost or taking extra care of it. No, the next day it was just a matter of applying udder ointment, or whatever was within reach at the time, and going again.

What ultimately aroused my interest? I will tell you that in this blog...

Side note: I have always suffered from eczema in the past, especially during the summer months. Nowadays I only have eczema at the beginning of the summer, fortunately a lot less than before and only in my elbow creases, and much less severe.

Where did it start

It started for me when I became fascinated sometime in 2014 when I happened to enter a store selling only natural soaps and skin care products. A new world literally opened up for me. However, this was still far from the idea of ​​setting up a company with products of the same name... more about that later.
So I started switching to natural soaps and noticed that my skin responded better to them; no more dry skin, and no allergic reactions to intense, foaming shower gels or bath soaps.

It was mid-2017 when one of my sisters was looking for African
Blacksoap and said “ there is a lot of demand for it in Facebook groups ”.
My first thought was to buy African Blacksoap in bulk and then sell it in Facebook groups because there was “a lot of demand” for it. No sooner said than done.
So this is where the transition from my enthusiasm for natural skin care products to purchasing and selling them began. This is where the real delving into the different products, their benefits and the countries they came from began for me.

Their own website soon followed (at the time still put together via Wordpress + Woocommerce), brand name and even more products.
When selecting the products, I used, and still use, the following criteria: the product must be 100% natural, it must come from a country of African origin, the Amazon or the Caribbean and it must be purchased from local suppliers without the intervention of other parties or quality marks.

"Of course I am happy to see how an idea has grown into a cosmetics brand, but for me the most satisfaction comes from the fact that in this way we help various suppliers to bring their products/ingredients to the Western market"

The development of Andelia

African Blacksoap is Andelia's very first product. Our range has now been expanded to include various natural hair and skin care products from, among others: Ghana, Nigeria, Chad, Brazil, Suriname, Morocco, and Gambia.

Where we first only purchased the products, put them in our own jars and bottles and then offered them to the European market, in 2021 we finally took the first step towards developing two of our own, authentic products within our own production line 'Andelia Divined '.

Andelia Divined consists of baby oil and baby lotion, and the main ingredients come from Suriname and Ghana.

Personally, I think the best development is being in contact with local residents and suppliers from different countries. Of course I am happy to see how an idea has grown into a cosmetics brand, but for me the most satisfaction comes from the fact that in this way we help various suppliers to bring their products/ingredients to the Western market. Of course we do this with our own branding.

My personal mission within the company

My personal mission with Andelia is to help developing countries and their local economies. We do not do this by promising that a certain percentage of the profit will go to the developing country, or that a child will receive a meal for every €50 order. We do this by making local suppliers in various developing countries a structural part of our business operations, so that we build a long and sustainable relationship with them.
As we grow, they grow with us. We literally need them to continue our business operations and we are happy to pay a fair price for that. This allows us to create a win-win-win situation for everyone, the supplier, the customer and us.