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The story behind this women led startup “Powder Beauty” is remarkable. The journey began when they struggled with their skin challenges, and observed a gap in the UAE beauty market. In order to fill this gap, both quit their jobs and embarked on a new chapter, with the goal of providing environmental friendly cosmetic products.
However, the journey was not easy, they faced many challenges, but their innovative approach and determination not only built a thriving business but also revolutionized the beauty industry. Let’s see, how these two female entrepreneurs began their transformative journey.
Co-Founders’ Journey Behind the Startup
Ayat Toufeeq’s story
In her 20s, Ayat moved to the Middle East, where her skin began to suffer severely. To fix this skin problem, she tried harsh but well known treatment, which exacerbated her skin problems. For years, she relied on aggressive products with strong, drying ingredients, but her skin continued to deteriorate.
Determined to find a better solution, she began to research and explore skincare brands and products globally. Her discoveries soon became a topic of discussion with friends, and became eager to share the benefits of the products she found. It was around that time when she met her co-founder, Amina Grimen.
Amina Grimen’s Story
In her 30s, Amina was dealing with hormonal skin issues that severely impacted her skin. She consulted multiple dermatologists, hoping to find an answer, but nothing provided the relief she needed. During this challenging period, she met Ayat, who was bringing skincare products from abroad and introducing them to her friends.
Ayat shared her knowledge of skincare and ingredients with Amina and recommended products she should try. This was the turning point for both of them.
Inspiration behind the startup
During this time, both Ayat and Amina identified a major gap in the UAE’s beauty industry, and decided to do something better, making a positive impact by empowering young people to take better care of their skin.
Soon, duo quit their well-paying job to nurture their dream and turn it into reality. But turning their dream into reality wasn’t easy; they faced numerous challenges in the early stages of their entrepreneurial journey.
Challenges: on the path of entrepreneurship
Ayat and Amina were excited to embark on their entrepreneurial journey with a strong idea for their startup. They were confident in their vision but had no knowledge about how to start a business. Additionally, they faced the challenge of developing a marketing strategy to effectively engage a diverse target audience.
When determination aligns with strategic thinking, excuses have no place. This mindset motivated both female entrepreneurs to study the business environment and learn the tools needed for their startup. They invested time in mastering digital marketing and understanding the country’s import and export regulations for beauty products.
About their startup
However, this was the big initiative for both of them, but finally, Ayat Toufeeq and Amina Grimen took a leap of faith and in 2018, they launched their startup, Powder Beauty, with the aim of offering a range of sustainable, cruelty-free, and clean beauty products from local and international brands.
This UAE-based e-commerce platform offers a wide range of affordable, effective, and luxury skincare and beauty products. They educate and guide customers through detailed blogs and editor’s notes for each product, helping them choose the best options for their skincare and haircare needs. They say, “Bringing beauty products to you fuels our passion, and we hope you enjoy every product as much as we do.”
Through educating its customers and offering the most sustainable and conscious products, Powder Beauty has become a prominent name in clean beauty in the region. With new funding, the platform is now poised to revolutionize beauty standards throughout the Middle East.
Initially, both women faced significant challenges because they had no experience or knowledge of operating a business. However, they remained hopeful, focused on finding solutions, and worked diligently. Their efforts paid off. Recently, Powder Beauty, a UAE-based e-commerce platform, secured an undisclosed amount in its pre-Series A funding round, led by Sophia Collective, NKEHL, Nithin, and Nikhil Kamath. This new investment will help Powder Beauty expand its operations in Saudi Arabia.
Duo female entrepreneurs are truly inspiring who turned their skin challenge into business to revolutionize beauty industry.
