Women in business | Shalom Lloyd, Naturally Tribal Skincare

Meet Shalom Lloyd, founder of Naturally Tribal Skincare

Shalom Lloyd, founder of Naturally Tribal Skincare

Could you tell me a bit about your brand and where did the name come from?
Naturally Tribal Skincare is a natural, vegan, ethically sourced, African heritage and synthetic chemical-free skincare range that uses only Mother Nature’s gifts to create a range of innovative, enriching and nurturing skincare products for the whole family. We ethically source and import personally selected natural ingredients from Africa. Our company respects nature’s ability to support clean beauty and wellbeing, enabling a healthy body and a happy mind. Our brand ethos is built on valuing healthy, ethical and sustainable living, simplicity and transparency whilst maintaining luxury.

Our name represents a ‘Tribe’, a ‘Family’ made up of like-minded people who are passionate about the role of nature in our lives! We live in a world where we are all becoming conscious of what we eat, what we put on our skin, what we expose our children to, how we treat our planet and environment. Tribal means family – it’s belonging, it’s everyone joined in a global family caring and working together – Naturally! This is the hope, understanding and motivation of the Naturally Tribal team. #JoinTheTribe

What is your career background?
I was fortunate enough to have been given a full scholarship to study pharmacy in the former Soviet Union (Russia). I was 16 when I arrived Moscow! Six years after living and studying in a country to which I arrived without knowing a single word of Russian or knowing anyone, I returned home to the United Kingdom with a BSc and MSc in Pharmacy. Upon returning to the UK, I started my career in the pharmaceutical industry for over 20 years. Building a career in pharmaceutical drug development arena enabled me work from the ground up into leadership roles where I led teams locally and globally across six countries, managed budgets exceeding £50 million per annum, led innovation projects and strategic focus areas.

How did the idea for Naturally Tribal Skincare come about?
In 2014, after my last IVF cycle, I gave birth to a set of beautiful twins! One of my twins, Joshua, was covered in eczema from birth and I spent months combining lotions, creams, emollients, teas – you name it – to stop his ‘scratch until drawing blood’ dilemma. I tapped into my African heritage and started to mix raw, ingredients from Africa – the scientist in me took over, experimenting and testing. Using these natural ingredients and once I stumbled on the right formula, it miraculously only took three days for Joshua’s skin to become what it should have been at birth. Naturally Tribal Skincare was born out of this personal experience and experimenting. Today, we use Mother Nature’s gifts to create natural products, manufactured and tested in the UK with our ingredients ethically sourced, while supporting and empowering African women. We are building infrastructure to ensure quality and working conditions, particularly for the women of Essan, Niger State in Nigeria.

Have you always wanted to be an entrepreneur?
I don’t believe an entrepreneur is something that one strives to be from a young age, at least not in my case. Perhaps I am a born entrepreneur – I come from a tribe in the East of Nigeria called the Ibo, who are said to be natural born traders, natural born entrepreneurs. What I do know is that I am one of those people who truly believes that nothing is impossible. I am a driven woman who isn’t afraid of making innovative and daring decisions and resolutely refuses to ever be afraid to ask the question.

Can you tell me a bit about the products and what distinguishes you from other skincare products at the moment?
Naturally Tribal Skincare offers a range of natural, vegan, ethically sourced and synthetic chemical-free skincare that contains 100% natural ingredients carefully sourced in Africa and made with love in the UK.

Our ‘source to jar’ traceability provides ethically conscious customers with the opportunity to easily obtain high-quality, 100% natural skincare products for each member of their family. The main ingredient in Naturally Tribal products comes from the African karite (shea) tree. Our high-grade shea butter is a superfood for the skin that is naturally rich in vitamins A, E and F. It also provides the skin with essential fatty acids and the nutrients needed for collagen production.

The names chosen for our product range have meanings, we chose to salute the three main tribes in Nigeria seeing this as a tribute to our heritage, our roots and a tribute to the first African country from where our ingredients were sourced – making the names of our ranges as significant as the contents of the products within them.

Our ingredients are extremely eco-friendly and beautifully combine African heritage with a European flare and will stimulate trade and enable employment growth in the UK and Africa.

Are there other women that have inspired you during your journey?
I have been inspired by some amazing and inspirational women from all walks of life. These women have inspired, championed, raised, encouraged, connected me and pushed me when I needed it. In addition, the women of the Kingdom of Essan are my biggest inspiration! These women transformed Naturally Tribal, taking it from just a skincare company to so much more!

Where do you see your brand in the next five-10 years?
The UK is not known for manufacturing shea butter based skincare products with majority used here imported from the USA and other countries. In five years’ time, Naturally Tribal Skincare would like have made a great impact in UK skincare sector. We would like to have a strong presence both locally as well as globally, known for bringing ancient remedies to life for today’s families. Our ‘state of the art’ factory in the Kingdom of Essan would be in full swing, exporting shea butter globally.

How would you define success?
Success to me is the amount people I have been able empower, inspire and give purpose to. Connecting people from different continents to produce a high-end luxury range of quality products that have helped us and others. I strongly believe that my business has achieved a huge amount in a short space of time and had great successes along the way. We have managed to bring products to market that are being recognised as ethical, honest and true. We have built a sustainable business that not only offers quality products but also contributes significantly to sustaining a community in Africa, improving their way of life and at the same time feeds the UK’s manufacturing and export market.

What advice would you give to other women who strive to be entrepreneurs?
The journey is a tough one so my first advice would be to do something you are passionate about, something that meets a need, something you enjoy. Everything we do in life is about relationships! Don’t be afraid to network, tap into people you know; put yourself out there, put the time in, do your research, have a business plan and most importantly, know that its okay for where you end up to be completely different from where you started – when you hit that obstacle, don’t give up, find a different route. However, remember that if you are going to fail, fail fast and move on as there is nothing worse than chasing an unrealistic dream. Do the right thing and know that how you make people feel is important!

“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” Maya Angelou

I try to make sure I leave everyone I meet with the feeling that ‘they matter’. Oh! and NEVER let the lack of finance stop you. Align with the right type of people, be genuine, surround yourself with a great team (no one knows it all). Most of all – enjoy the ride, bumps and all

www.naturallytribalgroup.com