Black Pearl Cosmetics takes beauty industry by storm

Lesedi Mkhutshwa | Wednesday June 4, 2025 11:38

The Motswana woman-owned enterprise in cosmetic space is differentiating itself from competition as it aims to also restore confidence in women with low self esteem through its products. On the sidelines of the recent Northern Trade Fair held here, Black Pearl Cosmetics’ marketing manager, Kutlwano Baeng, told BusinessMonitor their goal is to encourage people to use makeup and nail art to find and establish their own unique style and beauty statement. “We target women who have low self-esteem because of their skin type. We want to make them feel comfortable and in love with themselves,' Baeng stated.

The business first opened shop in 2020, and then it sold matte lipstick and six different tones of waterproof liquid foundation. The COVID-19 pandemic at the time put a stop to their operations, she said, adding: “We resumed production and sales once everything returned to normal.' She explained that there was skepticism as it was mandatory for people to keep wearing their masks, which affected their lipsticks sales. According to Baeng, they were offering waterproof foundation at the time and had also released four different rubber base and nail file colours. “In order to make our products more visually appealing to our customers, we also made the decision to rebrand their packaging,' she said. The spokesperson revealed that after first creating a light foundation, they discovered that it did not work well for Batswana's natural complexions. She said eventually, they also started to offer high-quality nail supplies, such as gel colours and rubber bases.

According to Baeng, they now provide foundation with sunscreen and olive oil for customers with light to dark complexion. She also noted that they employed as many raw elements as they could to create a distinctive foundation. Black Pearl Cosmetics, which presently operates three stores at Gaborone Market Plaza station, Palapye Makwape complex and Francistown Toro Junction mall, has big dreams to grow market share and serve those in other parts of the country. At the moment, they occasionally make trips to other areas nationwide in an effort to expand their market. Equally, the beauty company is in the process of developing a manufacturing facility. 'At the moment, we mix the ingredients locally and process to finish product outside the country. We also brand and package locally,” Baeng explained.

The marketing manager said Batswana have embraced their products adding that their sales are rapidly rising. Black Pearl Cosmetics, which is a self-funded business, currently employs more than six people across all of its outlets. Baeng stated that one of the difficulties the business faces is shortage of capital to purchase equipment so they can begin producing and processing their products locally.