Inspired by the memory of my Zimbabwean grandmother, Gogo Manyati,
whose wisdom and connection to nature left an indelible mark on me, I embarked on a journey to create Chiiso Botanics.
Some of my most treasured memories of childhood involve Gogo and I gliding through the woods, on a quest for nature’s remedies and foraging for mushrooms or wild honey, depending on the season.
Then and now, I believed she was a woman who possessed magical powers which she used to restore sickly children and adults to health. My beautiful grandmother was a very creative woman who left behind a generation of people whose lives she touched and made better.
This deep-rooted respect for nature’s bounty is why Chiiso Botanics shuns the widely used yet barren mineral oils in mainstream skincare.
I remember as a child that Vaseline was considered the epitome of skincare. This colonial import erased our tradition of crafting home-made skincare from the natural gifts around us.
This ignited my quest for authenticity. Our cold-pressed Virgin Seed Marula oil is our first product, our hero product. We are very proud of its quality and efficacy on mature and dry skin. It is lightweight, and fast absorbing and we bring it to you in its purest form, with nothing added.
I had never run a business before and have never worked in the skincare business so really, it was a leap of faith. My training is in documentary filmmaking, before having kids, so this was an untraditional path to get there.
A few years ago, I enrolled on the award-winning Formula Botanica courses run by Lorraine Dallmeier. Not just to learn to formulate but to build a sustainable organic skincare business.
I have always had an interest in skincare, especially as I have sensitive skin and would react badly to so many products. So, I have been carefully scanning ingredients of products since I was a teenager, trying to decipher what they contained. Often, it was difficult to see what was naturally derived in them.
Our tagline, “the power of nature is wild” is a testament to our belief that nature, in its purest form, holds the answers to our skincare needs.
As we continue this journey, we invite you to join us in embracing the wild power of nature. Let us celebrate new beginnings, no matter the age and trust in the transformative power of natural, ethical skincare to nourish us and at the same time change the lives of communities in Zimbabwe.
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