About Us

Celebrating Ancient African Wisdom

Nokware Skincare is a proudly Ghanaian beauty brand, rooted in ancient African wisdom and modern innovation. Our roots trace back to the extensive knowledge of plants, herbs, and oils passed down by our founder’s great-grandmother, who made and sold traditional Ghanaian black soap.

our story

Our beginnings as a company however begin, strangely enough, outside of Ghana, all the way in Paris in 2014 where our founder, Tutuwa met a fellow African in her Masters program. As the only 2 black girls in their year group, they quickly bonded. Tutuwa unconsciously introduced her to her Great-Grandmother’s Black Soap and Shea Butter as they both struggled to find skincare products that worked for their skin in the new climate they found themselves in. Her friend quickly became obsessed with the results she got from using Tutuwa’s black soap and shea butter. The duo moved back to their respective countries in 2016, and her friend constantly asked Tutuwa to send her black soap for her and her friends.

One day, Tutuwa had an idea: “why not take this skincare, a recipe passed down by her great-grandma, to the rest of the world?” Tutuwa excitedly wrote down some concepts. She brainstormed on products, packaging, and strategy, pitched the ideas to her close friends and the rest is history!

Inspired by this rich heritage, we have fused ancient African ingredients like Shea Butter, Moringa, and Neem Oil with science-backed Western ingredients like Hyaluronic Acid. The result is a line of skincare products that delivers the very best of both worlds – the natural and healing properties of Africa’s oils and plants with scientifically-advanced, high-performance formulas.

from the founder

My favorite thing about Nokware has and always will be, the community of people the brand has birthed.

While I love dreaming up new products and experimenting with different formulations, the community of people – the women up north who labor to make our Shea, the sisterhood in my grandmother’s village who make our base black soap, our calabash suppliers in Mallam Atta market, our factory girls, and our growing base of customers – they are the heart and soul of Nokware.

Nokware started as the side hustle of a 26 year old girl in Accra. Two thousand five hundred and fifty plus days later, it has grown into a global brand that’s bigger than me. I think of my great grandmother and how proud she would be to see Nokware. I also think of how much prouder she would be to see the foundation her traditions have laid in allowing women to achieve feats that females in her generation never could.

I hope that everyone finds a piece of themselves in our ethos and in our story. I hope that you all feel the love that’s been poured into every jar or bottle you pick up. I hope that our products allow you to be bolder, take up root and bloom. More than anything, I hope that Nokware becomes to everyone, what it has become to me – an answer and a home.

Thank you for taking this journey with us. I hope you stick around, because we’re just getting started!

-Tutuwa

our mission

But Nokware Skincare is more than just products – it’s a celebration of community, sustainability, and female empowerment. Our supply chain uplifts women producers through fair trade practices. Our packaging is eco-friendly and we encourage conscious consumption through return and refill programs because we believe natural beauty should also be ethical and sustainable.

In our Ghanaian roots and our global vision, we embody the Ubuntu philosophy of shared humanity through the products we dream off and make a reality, the team we hire and the community we build. The best part about our story? We’re just getting started!