Akoma

What Akoma does

Akoma Skincare is a UK-headquartered, private e-commerce retailer of natural and organic personal-care products, founded in 2002 and operating from Unit 9A Sawley Park, Nottingham Road, Derby. Its core proposition is selling ethically sourced, Cosmos-certified shea butter, African black soap, carrier and essential oils, butters, raw cosmetic ingredients, and finished skincare items (serums, masks, lip balms, foot care, hair care) through a Shopify storefront at akomaskincare.co.uk, alongside an "Authentic Africa" range of cultural goods (cooking accessories, Djembe and Balafon instruments, Bolga baskets, hats) and African whole foods. Supply originates from the Akoma Cooperative Multipurpose Society, founded in 2006 in Pusu-Namogo near Bolgatanga, Ghana, which underwrites the company's fair-trade, vegan, and cruelty-free certifications.

The business serves three distinct customer segments: (1) individual health-conscious consumers seeking natural skincare for conditions such as eczema, psoriasis, dry skin, or anti-ageing; (2) small cosmetic makers, formulators, and DIY enthusiasts buying raw ingredients and packaging in bulk; and (3) wholesale and trade customers (retailers, spas, resellers) purchasing pallet-level quantities via a dedicated enquiry process. Go-to-market is product-led direct-to-consumer e-commerce complemented by organic social (X, Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram), an email newsletter with a 10% signup incentive, and an editorial blog ("Akoma Collective"), with no disclosed paid acquisition budget or institutional backing.

The revenue model combines unit-priced DTC retail, a 15% subscription discount on 90-day automatic cycles for flagship SKUs (shea butter, body butter, liquid black soap) via Seal Subscriptions, and wholesale/trade contracts. The storefront is localized into 30+ country/currency combinations spanning the UK, US, Australia, Canada, Japan, Hong Kong, and most of Europe (including Baltics, Scandinavia, Central, Eastern, and Southern Europe), with free UK shipping over £120 and integration of regional payment rails (iDEAL, Bancontact, Clearpay, UnionPay) to minimize cross-border conversion friction. Sub-brands Shea Million (foot/skin balms, artisan soaps) and Eban (African foods) segment the catalogue by use case without diluting the parent brand.

Name

Akoma

Legal name

Akoma Skincare

Website

https://akomaskincare.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Akoma Skincare is a UK-based, private e-commerce retailer selling natural, fair-trade shea butter, black soap, oils, raw cosmetic ingredients, and African lifestyle goods, sourced via its Ghana cooperative and shipped DTC worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Natural and Organic Skincare Retail

NAICS

Cosmetics, Beauty Supplies, and Perfume Retailers (45612), Health and Personal Care Retailers (4561)

SIC

Perfumes, Cosmetics & Other Toilet Preparations (2844), Retail-Misc General Merchandise Stores (5399)

akta.pro primary industry

Natural/Organic & Clean Skincare (CRABAAAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Body Skincare (Lotions, Creams, Body Oils) (CRABAAAD)

Keywords

• Natural skincare retail
• Organic shea butter
• African black soap
• Carrier essential oils
• Fair trade cosmetics

Headquarters

HQ city

Denby

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. E-commerce retail sales: Direct-to-consumer online sales of natural skincare products, raw ingredients, and authentic African goods through their Shopify e-commerce platform.
2. Subscription products: Recurring subscription model for select products including shea butter, body butter, and liquid black soap with 15% savings on 90-day delivery cycles.
3. Wholesale/trade sales: Wholesale enquiries available for bulk orders and trade customers through a dedicated submission process.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Akoma Skincare is a UK-based e-commerce retailer that sells natural and organic skincare ingredients and finished products, including raw and processed shea butter, Ghanaian African black soap, carrier oils, aromatherapy essential oils, butters, serums, lip balms, hair care, bath and body products, authentic African cultural goods, and wholesale packaging materials. Products are ethically sourced from Ghana via the Akoma Cooperative and sold direct-to-consumer globally through a Shopify storefront, with recurring subscriptions and wholesale enquiry pathways available.

Product overview

Akoma Skincare is a UK-based e-commerce retailer offering a comprehensive portfolio of natural and organic skincare ingredients and finished products, with a focus on ethically sourced African ingredients. The product range is centred on core ingredients (raw shea butter, black soap, carrier oils, essential oils, butters) and extends to finished skincare products (serums, face masks, lip balms, foot care), hair care, bath & body products, authentic African cultural items (musical instruments, baskets, cooking accessories), whole foods, scented candles, gift sets, and wholesale packaging materials. The company operates primarily as a supplier to both retail consumers and wholesale/manufacturing customers, with products carrying COSMOS Natural/Organic, Fair Trade, vegan, and cruelty-free certifications. Distribution is managed through their Shopify e-commerce platform with subscription options via Seal Subscriptions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Akoma Collective: Community initiative covering Ghana mission, cooperative activities, and community projects focused on improving lives in Pusu-Namogo near Bolgatanga.
• Shea Million
• Eban

Products and services

• Shea Butter Products

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration19 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Akoma Cooperative Multipurpose SocietycoreOthersFounded in 2006 as a non-government organisation. Akoma Skincare works directly with this Ghana-based cooperative to source ingredients and support workers in Pusu-Namogo near Bolgatanga, Ghana. The partnership forms the foundation of Akoma's fair trade and community impact mission.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Dr. Bronner's: Dr. Bronner's is a family-owned natural soap and personal care company built on organic, fair-trade, and castile-soap formulations with regenerative supply chains. Comparable to Akoma on fair-trade certified organic oils, ethical supply chain, and soap/body-care SKU overlap.
• The Body Shop: The Body Shop is a global ethical beauty retailer positioned on natural ingredients, fair trade, and sustainability. A broader incumbent with global storefronts compared to Akoma, but overlapping on natural/ethical beauty positioning and community-trade sourcing model.
• Tree Hut: Tree Hut is a body-care brand focused on natural shea sugar scrubs, body butters and shave care. Comparable to Akoma on shea-led body skincare, natural formulation ethos, and bath-and-body product overlap.
• Lush Cosmetics: Lush is a global handmade natural cosmetics retailer known for fresh, ethically sourced, vegetarian/vegan bath, body and skincare. Comparable to Akoma on natural ingredients, ethical sourcing, vegan-friendly positioning, and global DTC + retail distribution.
• Burt's Bees: Burt's Bees (Clorox) is a mainstream natural personal care brand offering lip balm, body care and skincare with nature-derived ingredients. A broader incumbent mass-market peer compared to Akoma, sharing natural-ingredient positioning but at far larger scale via grocery and drug channels.
• YesTo Inc. YesTo is a natural beauty brand offering fruit- and vegetable-based skincare and body care products. Overlaps with Akoma on natural positioning and facial/body skincare assortment, but at broader incumbency via mass retail (Target, Walmart).

Direct peers

• Alaffia: Alaffia is a US-based natural personal care brand founded on fair-trade sourcing of West African shea and ingredients through Togolese cooperatives. Directly comparable to Akoma on mission (fair trade, community impact, West African ingredients), natural positioning, and finished-skincare-plus-raw-ingredients catalogue.
• SheaMoisture: SheaMoisture is a US natural beauty brand built on African-origin ingredients (notably shea butter) for hair and skin care. Overlaps Akoma on heritage-African sourcing narrative, shea-led formulations, and natural/ethical positioning, though SheaMoisture operates at significantly larger scale via mass retail.
• Nubian Heritage: Nubian Heritage (Sundial/Unilever) is a natural skincare and bath brand positioned on African and Caribbean-inspired ingredients including shea butter and black soap. Directly comparable to Akoma on African botanical heritage, fair-trade/community trade messaging, and body-care focus.

Emerging players

• Badger Balm: Badger Balm is an independently owned natural balm and body-care company certified organic and family-operated. Comparable to Akoma on certified-organic natural balm/body-care formulation ethos and small-but-global DTC operations, though US-based and smaller-scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/AkomaSkincare
• Facebookfacebook.com/akomaskincare
• Instagraminstagram.com/akomaskincare
• Pinterestpinterest.co.uk/akomaskincare

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Akoma