Laure Deffa Barry : la femme qui veut transformer l'industrie cosmétique africaine

For this final episode of Backstage Beauty season 1, I'm joined by Laure Deffa Barry, a chemical engineer, expert in cosmetology and phytotherapy, and founder of Arbre de Vie, a group that combines a cosmetics laboratory, beauty brands, and agri-food businesses, with a mission: to promote African flora and build a serious and standardized African cosmetics industry. She's not your average brand founder. Laure is building an infrastructure. She formulates products for her own brands and for other entrepreneurs, she trains the next generation of formulators, and she actively campaigns against voluntary skin lightening. In this episode, we discuss: — Her journey from chemical engineer to cosmetologist and phytotherapist — Why she stopped formulating skin-lightening products—even when it was profitable — The three categories of women who use skin-lightening products and the underlying reasons — How to transition from a small-scale, artisanal lab to a laboratory meeting international standards — The Arbres de Vie group model: Gold Essence Cosmetics, Les Trésors d'Éden, African Beauty Rituals, and the laboratory — White labeling and support for African beauty entrepreneurs — WIC Capital's investment and the structuring through a board and strategic committee — Her vision of A-beauty as the next major global beauty movement And we finish with a Rapid Fire beauty segment, exploring undervalued African ingredients, debunking myths, and what beautiful skin truly means. An episode that raises the bar. Don't miss it. 👉 Subscribe to Backstage Beauty so you don't miss any episodes of season 2. 🌍 Follow Backstage Beauty 🎙️ Instagram /backstagebeautepodcast 🎵 TikTok /backstagebeautepodcast 💼 LinkedIn /backstage-beauté-podcast ▶️ YouTube / @backstagebeautepodcast 🌐 Website & listening platforms https://backstagebeautepodcast.buzzsp...